Cousin Jethro
by Kellybug
Summary: AU: What happens when school just gets too - weird? Call a cousin for help!
1. Chapter 1

Cousin Jethro

(An NCIS - X-Men Crossover)

None of the Charaxters used in the work are mine. The cast of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles belong to Donald Balisario. The characters from the various X-Men titles belong to Marvels Comics and their - over the years - various editors, artists, and writers! I am just borrowing them to play with.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is what happens when you read too many fan-fictions! Other writers start giving you ideas! I'd like to thank DimensionalLover for helping to put this idea into my head! This will be the first of (what I hope) is a four-story crossover-series,  
>featued around NCIS!<p>

Cousin Jethro

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Gibbs strands if front of a Front-Porch door, looking gaurdedly over the head of a young woman crying into his chest.

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Director Leon Vance had gotten good, over the years, at reading the mood of his teams. All the way from the superior of his superiors - those "way above his pay-grade" - to his senior field-agents to the lab-assistants downstairs. It was a skill he honed over the years. It was a skill that had come in handy from saving his money at card-games to saving his patience and sanity with NCIS-cases and dealing, especially, with his most-senior field agent:

Gunnery Seargant Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Not many things bothered Director Vance in this job, nor anymore, but Gibbs could! Particularlly, when he appeared in his office without a word and with nothing to read but a dark, sullen look on his face.

"I need some time off, Leon."

On hearing those six words, even when quietly spoken, every red-flag Director Vance could imagine went off in his head! Leon Vance had figured Hell would freeze over long before Leroy Jethro Gibbs asked for time-off! Gibbs refused to take a leave even after his father, Leroy Jackson Gibbs, had died of a stroke! Something seemed to be wrong, here. But, what?

"Alright," the Director said, "You've got it! But - just out of formality and curiosity - why do you need the time off, Jethro?"

"Family-business, Leon." Gibbs replied.

"Ah!" Vance nodded. "Heading to Stillwater?"

"No. Not this time, Leon!" Gibbs sighed. "Heading to New York, a place called Salem Center. Have a cousin that attends school there. A second-cousin. Her name's Kathryn Pryde."

Director Vance' eyes shot up at Gibbs' words:

"'Kathryn Pryde'? Goes to school in Selem Center? In Westchester County, New York?"

"Yeah, Leon?" Gibbs asked.

"The School's called 'Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters'?" Vance asked as he pulled a folder from inside his desk.

"It is, Leon." Gibbs answered smoothlly. "The school in trouble with any agencies I should be aware of?"

"Not that I've been told of, Gibbs! Not yet, anyway. But? The FBI sent a dossier on the school to Sec-Nav about two weeks ago. The school was put on a Watch-List, and, I was told to keep this just in case anything happened!" Vance then pulled a photo of a brown-haired girl from the file with a tiny Star-of-David around her neck. "Is this Kathryn?"

"That's Kate, alright!" Gibbs smiled. "I remember the FBI taking that picture! Last time the X-Men were summoned to Washington, about 3 years ago."

"So? What's the problem, Gibbs?" Vance asked.

"I'll let you read it, yourself, Leon!" Gibbs pulled a letter from his suite-pocket. "I figured I might have to explain my need to leave."

Director Vance quickly read the letter. "She sounds alot like you, Gibbs!" Leon smirked.

"Nah.." Gibbs grinned. "I wouldn't have written the letter."

"That may be the case." Vance chuckled, taking four more pictures out of the dossier. "The redhead is Jean Grey-Summers. The black woman is Ororo Monroe, The gentleman is Piotr Rasputin, and the blonde is Emma Frost. Grey's a telepath and telekenetic, Monroe is some kind of weather-witch, ansd Rasputin is able to turn into some sort of living metal. Frost is a wildcard, relative newcomer to the X-Men, but rumoured to be another telepath! Also, it's said she has ties to the New York Hellfire Club!"

"I heard of the place, Leon!" Gibbs replied. "Scuttlebutt was the Hellfire Club was mentioned the last time the X-Men came up before Congress. Also? Kate told me of the place and Frost' connection to it. Their 'White Queen'."

"She's yoour mole in the school, Jethro?" Director Vance asked.

"Only with what she's involved in, Leon!" Gibbs sighed and ran a hand through his greying hair. "Ever since her parents divorced, I've been her guardian. Unoffivially. Hell, I think I've been her unofficial-guardian even when I was married to Shannon! Shannon watched over Kate like a hawk when she was with us!"

"Well, be that as it may!" Vance told his Senior Field-Agent, "Here! I'm giving you the whole dossier on the school as a loaner. I want that back! Never know who you may have run-ins with up there. But, I want that back!"

"Thanks, Leon", Gibs said at he opened the door.

"And, Gibbs?" Leon added.

"Yeah, Director?" Gibbs asked.

"If you need to, bring Ms. Pryde back to DC with you!"

"I aleady planned to, Leon." Gibbs answered Vance, then turned to call down to the Bullpen:

"TONY! Grab your gear! We're heading to New York! Westchester County! Hopefully, we'll be back by dinnertime!"

"Westchester, Boss?!" Tony DiNozzo looked up to the second-floor balcony. "Is Kathryn in trouble?" He asked as he started stowing his gear.

"'Kathryn'?" Probationary-Agent Eleanore "Ellie" Bishop asked Junior Field-Agent Timothy McGee.

"The boss' second-cousin," McGee answered. "Met her, once, about three years ago. Nice kid. Hope she's not in trouble."

"Might be, Tony!" Gibbs answered Tony. "She wrote me that she wanted to kill four of her team-mates! Asked me to intervene before she did!"

"Kill.. her team-mates?" McGee mamaged to gasp out. "But, they're her family!"

"Have we always gotten along with our families, Timmy?" Tony asked as he slung his stuff over his shoulder.

"Point taken." Tim deadpanned as he checked his gun.

"Agent McGee! Agent Bishop!" Director Vance called down from the walkway. "Go with Gibbs and DiNozzo! DiNozzo! See that Gibbs doesn't do anything stupid! McGee! See that Dinozzo doesn't do anything stupid! Bishop! See that McGee doesn't do anything stupid! Last thing we need is NCIS shooting up a school. No matter how much they deserve to be."

"A SCHOOL?!" Eleanor Bishop gulped as she entered the elevator.

"I'll explain on the road." Gibbs said tirely as the elevator closed.

When they exited the building, The group was met in the parking lot.

"Gibbs! Just the man I was asked to see!" FBI Agent Tobias Fornell spoke up holding a package.

"FBI?" Tony whispered to McGee. "This can't be good!"

"I wonder what's he got in the box?" Tim mused.

"He's wanting Gibbs." Tony rubbed his chin. "I wonder who called him? Director couldn't have called him. Lamgley's not close enough for him to get here that fast."

"'Was asked to see', Tobias?" Gibbs responded. "By who?"

"Your cousin wrote me a letter, begging me to see what kind of toys R-and-D was working on, and letting you have them to play with!"

"And, you agreed, Tobias?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, Jethro, I agreed." Tobias Farnell answered. "You have a couple of modified Flash-Bangs and a VERY-modified TASER! Hopefully that will help keep the body-count low. I also asked the boys in New York to keep an eye on the Institute until you get up there!"

"Thanks, Tobias!" Gibbs said with grim smile. "You coming with us?"

"No." The FBI Agent said. "Seeing NCIS at their front door will be enough of a scare for most of them! They don't need to see FBI accompany you! Just tell Kitty Kat I said hello. I'll help Leon hold the fort down until you get back."

"Okay, Tobias. I will." Jethro replied. "Just don't tell Abbie where I've gone. Okay? She'll figure out why I left on short-notice, and will probably want ro kill anyone who follows us home!"

"You got it, Gibbs!" Farnell turned around and lightly chuckled, visions of dead X-Men flashing in his head. "If anyone could do it? Ms. Sciutto probably could! And? Make it look like an accident!"

"An Instutute? A SCHOOL?" Eleanore Bishop asked Gibbs after the two NCIS cars turned north onto the Baltimore Turnpike, "Why are we going after a school, Gibbs?!"

"To get my cousin's daughter and bring her home so she can have some much-nedded R-and-R!" Gibbs answered his Probatiobary-Officer. "You ever heard about Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngers up in Westchester County, New York, in your time with the NSA, Bishop?" He asked.

Eleanor's eyes almost popped out of her head as she jolted in such a way that would have stopped the car had she been driving it! She then turned toward Gibbs:

"Your cousin's one of the X-MEN?"

"Second-cousin," Gibbs corrected the Probie, "and, yes, she is! Been a student at Xavier's since before she turned 15! Except for the month that her parents put her in the Massachusetts Academy. Here!" He pulled the letter out from his coat-jacket. "Read this. A letter I received from Kate, yesterday. Spent all last night reacting to it."

Bishop grew paler with every line she read:

"She's made a HIT-LIST?"

"It appears that way." Jethro sighed. "I don't know how it happened, but Xavier's school for Gifted Youngsters has robbed my cousin of every drop of patience she had. And, if the hit-list is any indication, most of her sanity! Amd? My second-cousin had more patience and sanity than my first-cousin EVER had! Kate had as much patience as my dad, and more patience than Theresa and her grandpa put together! I - kinda grew up watching over Theresa - like dad watched over his older-brother, until Theresa left for Chicago! And? I tried to warn Carman Peyde about what he was marrying into! Kathryn was the only good thing to come out of that marriage, and I decided, long ago, to be there if anything happened to her! So? I'm off to Salem Center, now."

fter hearing her boss' speech, Ellie Bishop just sat back and stared at the road, lost in thought.

The two NCIS-cars changed position morth of Baltimore heading toward Philadephia and New Jersey.

"How do you think Ellie reacted to the Boss' story?" Tim asked Tony. "I'm sure he told her!"

"Yeah. That's Gibbs. Tight-lipped, until you have to go in a fight with him." Tony grinned. Then that grin disappeared. "If Ellie's the kind of mom I think she is, once she heard the Boss' story? She probably substituted Kathryn for her little boy.. and wanted to throttle Theresa Pryde. I know I wanted to after hearing the Boss' story! Part of me already wanted to after I had just met the Kitty Kat! I can't imagine a mom disappearing on her child like she did."

"Yeah!" Tim agreed. "A few months before he died, I asked Jackson about it. Kate's story was eating at me. So? I called him about it, one evening. While Jackson Gibbs didn't say anything bad about Theresa Pryde outright, I could tell he was biting his cheek about what he did say! He did say that the Boss was the best thing is Kat's life, though! What do you think happened at the schoool, Tony?"

"I don't know, McGee! I just know it sent Gibbs into protection-mode! Trying to follow the Boss to Baltimore was like trying to follow the David-Limited!"

"I'd be careful about who I was talking about. Tony!" Timothy cautioned. "You're driving just as fast as Ziva!"

"I know, Tim." Tony stared down the road. "I'm just worried about Kat!"

A little under 3 hours later, the cars were parking into the driveway of Professor Xavier's school.

"Sounds quiet. I wonder if nobody's home?" Ellie said.

"There IS that possibility!" Tim said, checking his gun.

"Holster your weapon, Tim." Gibbs sighed. "We don't need anyone here more scared then they'd be, otherwise, seeing Federal Agnts."

"Yes, boss!" Tim holstered his side-arm as Gibbs grabbed the package from the FBI.

Gibbs knocked at the door:

NOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Leroy Jethro Gibbs waited all of five seconds before he banged on the front door, again:

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"FEDERAL OFFICERS!" Gibbs shouted. "OPEN UP!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Oh, the Boss is not happy!" Tim whispered.

"The Boss is pissed." Tony nodded.

"What do we do?" Eleamore asked.

"Probably, best to wait and survey the damage, Probie." Tony whispered.

"What about what Director Vance ordered?" Ellie hissed.

"The Director isn't here." Tim mumbled.

"As long as nobody named Summers answers the door," Tony cautioned, "We should be Okay."

"Summers?" Ellie asked.

"A couple of the X-Men." Tim sighed. "Ones we'd rather not deal with at the door."

NOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"I said..", Gibbs began.

"I heard what you said, Gibbs!" A slightly-accented voice came from in back of the door. The door then opened to show a short, barrel-chested man in western-cut jacket and jeans in the hallway. "Hello, Gunnery-Sargeant!" The man smiled slightly.

"Hello, Logan." Ginns replied. "You know why I'm here?"

"Not the particulars, no, but I can guess? I see ya brought bacK-up! Expectin' trouble, eh?"

"Only from Rasputin and Monroe." Gibbs said matter-of-factly.

"Their names high on Kate's list?" Logan asked.

"know about the list?" Gibbs asked.

"Watched her write it." Logan said.

"You didn't stop her from mailing it?" Gibbs asked the Canadian.

"Why should I?" Logan replied.

"This guy and Gibbs seem to get along okay?" Ellie Bishop pondered.

"Logan and the boss seem to understand each other!" Tony answered.

Suddenly, sounds of a fight came through the foyer:

"Don't you come CLOSE TO ME, Monroe!" A young woman screamed. "You put ONE HAND ON ME? And I SWEAR that will be the LAST TIME you touch ANYTHING! And tell that red-headed LAP-DOG of yours to keep a safe-distance from me! Preferably the other side of the STATE!  
>I may be a MOUSE, here, but I'M NOT BLIND!"<p>

"Now, Katya..", a masculine Russian-accent started to speak.

"Don't you 'Now, Katya' me, you philandering BASTARD!" The woman's voice was in tears. "You come within touching-distance of me,  
>Piotr Nikolaevich Rasputin, and I WILL cut off your manhood and shove it down your damned THROAT and watch you CHOKE on it!"<p>

"What in the...?" Ellie breathed out.

"Not 'what', Probie." Tony sighed. "Who. Kathryn Pryde."

"You think the Boss heard that?" McGee asked rhetorically.

"KAT?" Gibbs shouted into the mansion. "KATHRYN!"

"He heard." Tony answered.

"Jethro?" A teary-voice seemed to call from inside the mansion, quickly followed by feet running through a hallway:

"JETHRO!"

A young brown-haired woman, not well into her twenties, burst through the door and callapsed into Gibbs' chest, crying out the last reserves of strength she had.

"Don't worry, Kat. I'm here. everything'll be fine." Jethro repeated, letting the Shadowcat cry into his chest.

'Charles Xavier?' Gibbs thought as he held his crying cousin, 'What in the hell have you let happen here?'


	2. Cousin Jethro Ch2

Cousin Jethro

(An NCIS - X-Men Crossover)

None of the Charaxters used in the work are mine. The cast of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles belong to Donald Balisario. The characters from the various X-Men titles belong to Marvels Comics and their - over the years - various editors, artists, and writers! I am just borrowing them to play with.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is what happens when you read too many fan-fictions! Other writers start giving you ideas! I'd like to thank DimensionalLover for helping to put this idea into my head! This will be the first of (what I hope) is a four-story crossover-series,  
>featued around NCIS!<p>

Cousin Jethro

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Probationary-Agent Eleanore Bisho stand in fromt of the teachers of Proffessor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and procedes to read them im on NCIS, the Sentinals, and the latest "Riot Act".

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After a tearful reunion on the steps of Xavier's School., Jethro looked at his cousin.

"My god, you're almost as tall as I am!" Gibbs gave a quick smile. "Go upstairs and get your stuff packed, while I have a talk with the.. adults."

"Okay, Jethro." Kate sniffed away a tear. "I'll be back. Please, don't leave without me?"

"I wouldn't think of it!" Jethro whispered with a grin.

Soon, Kathryn was running up the stairs to her room:

"I'm packing to leave!" Shadowcat called out. "Not sure when I'll be back! Monroe? You touch me.. EVER.. again? You're dying of a HEART-ATTACK!"

"Okay." Gibbs sighed. "DiNOZZO! McGEE! BISHOP! Back me up, so I don't have to kill anyone! Logan? Even with your healing-factor, the best thing you can do is stay out of our way!"

With that said, four NCIS-Agents entered the hornets' next.

"I have a sick feeling I know what has made Kat so upset." Tony said. "I remember Kat choosing her words carefully."

"Not enough attention from one student.." Tim sighed. "And..."

"Too much attention from others!" Eleanore growled out, motherly-side kicking in.

'ALRIGHT! NCIS!" Gibbs shouted out as he entered the mansion. "I need to talk to Charles Xavier!"

The attention of every student at the institute, having been riveted to the fight between Shadowcat, Storm, Jean, and Collosus, now turned their attention to the four NCIS agents!

"About what, Sargeant Gibbs?" A lanky man with brown hair and red sunglasses growled out. "What does the Navy want with the X-Men?"

"The Navy doesn't want a damned thing with the X-Men, Summers." Gibbs replied in a low, slightly-irritated tone. "Not yet, anyway. I'm just a Marine here to pick-up his cousin for a vacation she needs before she does something she might, actually, regret! And? I'm here to discuss a problem with Xavier he's needed to take care of for some time. Now? Either get out of my way, or I'm going to have to give you what I was planning to give to Rasputin!"

"Vat vill you give to me.. Marine?" Collosus growled theateningly to Gibbs. "Vat is between Kathryn and I? Is between Kathryn and I!"

"You are wrong, Nikolaevich!" Gibbs growled out just as threateningly. "I have been watching over Kat, whenever I was near enough to, ever since she was born! And, watching over her mother since before you were born! And? I heard my cousin from the doorway. So? You, and Monroe, and Summers.. just.. leave.. her.. alone. Or? I may have to forget the word I gave to my Superior!"

"Alright, you two!" Scott Summers, Cyclops, tried to step between the two men. "That's enough!"

He then grabbed Gibbs by the collar:

"I said, THAT'S E.. gurk?!"

Gibbs grabbed the young man by the treachea, and pushed him hard against the wall!

"I said," Gibbs shouted, "STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" He then pulled Kathryn's letter out of his inside coat pocket:

"DiNOZZO! RESTRAIN THIS IDIOT! And, read him my cousin's letter!"

"Sure thing, Gibbs!" Tony replied, as he drove Scott's head back into the wall with a forearm against a chin and throat:

"Alot like the first time we met, Scott! And the last time." Tony sighed. "I don't know what it is about you, or your brothers. Or Alex' wife. What her name? Lorna? I get along with almost everybody else, here! But? What is it about the Summers' clan?" Still resting his forearm against against Scott, Tony opened up Kathryn's letter and read it:

"Hm. I proably would have trouble getting along with Jean, too! And, it looks like Kathryn did."

Making sure he understood the letter before shoving it in front of Cyclops, Tony slowly reread Kathryn's words:

"Seems like Jean is high on Kat's hit-parade, Summers! Or? Should I say.. hit-list?"

"What the ..?" Cyclops gagged out. "What 'hit-list'?"

Tony showed the letter to Scott, then glanced at McGee, an impish grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Gibbs was staring-down Collosus:

"You, Rasputin, had best stay away from my cousin for the next year! Or? You will find out WHY my cousins considered me their Gaurdian Angel back in Stillwater! My father watched over his older brother and sister and his neices and nephews,  
>and I watched over MY cousins! And, if you manage to hurt Kat once more? You're dead and shipped BACK to Russia! I heard what Kat shouted from the doorway! You managed to hurt her in the worst of places. Down where it hardely - if ever - heals. And, then, you want to act as if nothing happened? You want to know something? You are not much of a man when you hurt a woman there."<p>

"You say I am not a man, Officer?" Piotr Nikolaevich Rasputin said as he changed Gibbs. "You will PAY for that insult!"  
>Collosus then cocked his arm back to throw a punch as he transformed into Collosus.<p>

Logan started to rush towards the Siberian, to block him from contacting with Gibbs.

Illyana Nikoleanovna Rasputina ran towards her brother, to teleport him away from Gibbs.

Gibbs pulled out the loaner-taser.. and shot it at Rasputin!

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

As Collosus' muscles cramped from the electrical-shock, Gibbs growled out:

"That's in care of the FBI. For the way you treated Kathryn. And, for taking a swing at a Federal Agent. In that order! You're lucky!"

The mutant shape-shifter codenamed "Wolfsbane" started making her way to Kathryn's room, slowly, every now and then turning her eyes to the fight in the main-room.

Her fellow shaft-shifter, "Catseye", headed in the same direction.

Suddenly, seeing her fellow X-Man go down, The X-Man known as "Storm" leaped with a feline-grace off the upper-floor straight toward Gibbs!

"Leroy Jethro GIBBS!" Ororo cried out. "You will stop this..."

Gibbs then took out a concussion-grenade, and tossed it at Storm.

BANG!

As Storm fell to the floor in a daze, Gibbs ran toward the woman!

And Jean Grey-Summers ran towards them both:

"ORORO!" She glared toward Gibbs. "Stay away from her! Or.."

"Or what, Mrs. Summers?" Gibbs said as he grabbed the second grenade and tossed it.

BANG!

The suddenness of the sound-and-light-attack seemed to make swiss-cheese of Jean's psionic-defences, and staggered the young woman!

When Jean woke up, Agent Ellie Bishop was over her, badge and gun both drawn:

"Mrs. Gray? I'm Eleanor Bishop with NCIS! Would you mind getting up, slowly, and making your way to the dining room table? And? A word of advice: You even TRY any mind-tricks on me? I will be forced to shoot you! As it is I'm talking the mom in me out of just killing you - for right now."

"What the.." Scott gasped as he read and re-read the letter. "What's.. going on?"

"Still as clueless as ever, Summers!" Tony grumbled. "Kat didn't go into much detail as to why the drew up her list! But? We were in the doorway when we heard her cry out."

"'Cry out'? But.. everything's fine!" Cyclops stammered. "Isn't it?"

"Completely clueless!" Tony sighed. "You are great when it comes to dealing with outside threats, Cyclops! But? When things implode? We heard Kathryn tell Ms. Monroe not to touch her anymore! That.. is uasually said after something - inappropriate - has happened! And, then, we heard Kat warn your wife to keep away from her! Then, call your wife Ms. Monroe's 'Lap-Dog'? Only one reason to call someone that. Well? There is another reason! But.. they kind of tie into each other."

Cyclops looked almost-pleadingly from Storm to Jean. Abd back ro Storm. Then, back to Jean!

"Absolutely clueless! It's a good thing your branch of the Summers' tree hasn't produced any fruit!" Tony groused. "Imagine a whole tribe of Jeans and Scotts?!"

"Just stay where you are, Herr Wagner." Tim McGee tried to calm Nightcrawler, taking his cue from Tony. "We're just here on behalf of Kathryn! We're not here on a hunting-expedition! None of us are declaring war."

"Was about the X-Men?" Kuet glanced around at his team - his family - half of whome were on the floor or otherwise incapacitated.

"Well?", Timothy McGee noted. "How certain of the X-Men react to us is entirely up to them!"

"Ven I told Kathryn to write Herr Gibbs," Nightcrawler said, almost apologetically, "I did not realize.."

"You suggested Kathryn write that letter?" McGee interjected with a grin. "You deserve a madel, Herr Wagner! You probably saved someone's life, here!"

Meanwhile, Gibbs was using his patented-glare on a quickly-withering Ororo Monroe:

"You may have been thought of as a GODDESS back in East Africa, Storm! But That doesn't mean you ALWAYS get what you want, here! Especially, if what you WANT is my cousin! Kathryn looked at you as the mother my own cousin WASN'T! And you have managed to tear THAT relationship to PIECES! Kat can be very accepting of other people and relationships, but she is NOT to be treated like an object! I don't care what games you and Gray are playing, my cousin is NOT A PIECE OF IT! You do ANYTHING to make her feel afraid - or even uncomfortable - again? I will, personally, bury you! And, that.. is a written-in-stone promise. Now! Get to the dining-  
>room table and sit down where I can keep an eye on you! I need to talk to Xavier!"<p>

"DiNOZZO!" Gibbs barked out. "Get Summers over here with his wife! Then you and McGee help my cousin pack! We're getting out of here before I kill someone! Bishop? Set Rasputin down and make sure he stays seated!"

Soon, four of the X-Men were seated at the table with Professor Xavier. Tony and Tim were racing up the stairs and calling for Shadowcat, and Gibbs, with his patented-glare, and Eleeanor Bishop were seated in front of the X-Men, interrogation-style.

Gibbs looked down the line of teachers (acoording to Kathryn) and students in front of him. This included a blonde in a tailored white lady's business-jacket and bodice. This, he had no doubt, was the White Queen.

"Emma Frost?" Gibbs asked to confirm his observation.

"Agent Gibbs!" The White Queen smiled, confirming Gibbs' thoughts. "Very Observant, Seargeant Gibbs! But.. I would have expected no less from a Marine Corps sniper! Or, the head of the best MCRT on the East Coast!"

"I'm not here on Navy business, Ms. Gtost," Gibbs said. "I'm just here to get my cousin. You have any idea.. why you're on her hit-list?"

"Prior.. transgressions.. I would think." The White Queen replied.

"From when Carmen and Theresa thought she should have gone to The Massachusetts Academy?" Gibbs asked.

"Correct, Agent Gibbs. When things were at their.. worst, here.. a few days ago, I.." Emma slowly breathed out reliving the experience, "TOUCHED young Kathryn's mind, to see what - or WHO - was troubling her! That allowed some.. unpleasant memories..of Kathryn's to re-surface."

"'Unpleasant memories'?" Gibbs queried.

"We shall speak of them - another time - Gunnery-Seargeant!" Emma said. "To talk of them, now, would keep you and Kathryn here longer than you planned. Anyway.. that probe, I am sure, helped land me on the list, albeit at the bottom. Actually," she turned slowly toward Xavier, "I am surprised that the list isn't longer! Surprised - and a bit relieved. Someone has to be around to teach the school."

"I'm sorry, Ns. Frost!", Kathryn apologized from the back of the crowd. "For.. putting your.. name.. in the letter."

"Apology sccepted, Shadowcat!" Emma smiled. "Althouh.. the truth be told, no apology is needed. You were just.. reacting.. to who I once was." Dhe then looked at Jean and Ororo. "And, who I may become, again! If I feel a need to protect.. someone."

"So.. what my big brudda to to get hisself in trouble with the Navy now, huh?" A Cajun-accent punctuated the back of the crowd.

"Oh, no." Tim grumbled. "Not snother Summers."

"Yeah." Tony jissed. "They're like cockroaches."

"He didn't do anything, Remy!" Gibbs replied to Gambit. "In fact, not doing anything is why he's at the table!"

Gibbs handed Kate's note to Gambit.

Remy let out a low whistle. "Didn' I done tol' you dat woman's ways gon' get you in trouble, Scotty? Surprised your name isn't on dis list."

"I thought adout it, Remy!" Kathryn said.

"Dey also forget you follow your cousin's rules! Especially da one wit da knife, yeah!"

Several of the students and teachers gasped at Gambit's reminder, while Illyanna tried to swallow a laugh.

"Here, I thought you thought brothers watched out for eack other, Remy?" Scott grumbled.

"We do we do, mon frer!" Gambit replied. "But, not when big bruddas act stupid! Gambit been listen to Jean, Ororo, and Kathryn! Also been listenin' to Da Rogue, ya! Say she know de bonne petite better than you do! Somethin' about sharing her mind, once. Warn Gambit not to tread in quicksand."

"My Swamp Rat DOES have a brain!" Rogue chirped. "There's hope for the Summers, yet! And? Don't you worry, Agent DiNozzo! Alex ain't here! He and Lorna should are in Califoria and should be gone for the week."

"Kate got everything, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked Tony.

"That she did, Boss!" Tony answered.

Gibbs then turned and glared at Xavier.

"Maybe.. a few mistakes were made?" Professoer X answered Gibbs' glare.

"Ya THINK?" Gibbs shot back.

"But - I assure you, Sargeant Gibbs -", the Professor tried to defend his action, "it was for the best of intentions."

"Ya THINK?" Gibbs repeated, leaning into Xavier's space. "I know you are trying to build a safety-zone for Mutants, here, Xavier. But! Letting some do as they please, here, without bounderies is causing HARM to others, bordering on ABUSE! My cousin came here, at first, to learn how to best deal with her powers, as did almost everyone else. But? She STAYS here because she feels at home, here! She feels SAFE! Safer than she did when Theresa and Carmen divorced. The moment my cousin does NOT feel safe here, no matter if she's an 'adult' or not? That's the moment I get her out of here, and I don't care HOW MUCH of this school I have to tear down to DO IT! As it is, Ksat needs time-away from here, and I'm making sure she gets it! It will be up to her if she comes back or not. But? If she does? You can expect to see me, or my prople, here every month to make sure things here are running smoothely."

"Now just WAIT a DAMNED MINUTE!" Cyclops suddenly jerked around, quite uncoordinated, and tried to get in Gibbs' face. "You can't just barge in here a tell us ro jump through your hoops! We're...!"

"Your minute is up, Summers! Sit back DOWN!" Gibbs snapped out. "No, you DON'T have to do what I say! But, you will! For the simple reason it would be the BEST THING for you to do!"

Scott grudgingly sat back down, and Gibbs pulled Vance' packet from an inside coat-pocket, and took out the photos. "You are already on a government watch-list. Courtesy, I've been told, of someone's hacking into F.B.I. files and removing any traces of the X-Nen from their data-banks! However, from what Kat has told me in her letters, I think I may know who pulled it off!" He looked up to see astonished and bewildered faces and eyes that were looking towards Shadowcat. Then he chuckled. "But? I'm not too sure of why! Anyway.. because of the Watch-list, you have one of two choices, if I understand what I was told: You either deal with NCIS-visits, now? Or, you deal with DSH Sentinals, later!"

The words of Sargeant Gibbs sent a wave of nervous-excitemrnt through the room.

"Sentinals?" Storm seemed to wither.

"Are you trying to blackmail us, Agent Gibbs?" Cyplops accused the Marine.

And Shadowcat suddenly went for Cyclops' throat:

"DRAD MAN, WALKING, SUMMERS!"

"Kathryn Anne?!" Gibbs called out as he stepped between his cousin and Cyvlops. "STAND-DOWN! Come on, let's get to the car! Bishop? Explain to these people what you told me on the way here! Kat and I will be outside. I'm not going to be tempted to kill anyone! And, niether is my cousin!" Then Gibbs gathered the photographs and placed them back in the envelope, and placed the envelope back in his pocket.

Illyanna Rasputina then followed Kathryn and Agent Gibbs out to the car. And, Agent Bishop arose.

"Hello, Professor Xavier, Mr. Summers, Mrs. Summers! I'm Eleanor Bishop, probationary NCIS Field-Agent, and formerly an analysist with Department of Homeland Security. A year ago. FBI gave us what remained functional of 'Operation Wide-Awake'. This included two dozen operational Sentinal robots and the pass-codes to activate them! Just in case somebody decided to attack the United States with mutant-powers."

"But.. I thought all the Sentinals were de-commissioned?" Hank McCoy, also known as the Beast, replied.

"Come on, Dr. McCoy!" Tony smiled grimly, "When have you ever heard of a government beauracracy that ever destroyed a toy before at least testing it?"

"Never." McGee groused, hating the thought of the Sentinal-program.

"So? You have a choice!" Bishop leaned manacingly into the table. "What's it going to be? NCIS Agents? Or, DHS Sentinals?" 


	3. Cousin Jethro Ch3

Cousin Jethro

(An NCIS - X-Men Crossover)

None of the Characters used in the work are mine. The cast of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles belong to Donald Balisario. The characters from the various X-Men titles belong to Marvels Comics and their - over the years - various editors, artists, and writers! I am just borrowing them to play with.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is what happens when you read too many fan-fictions! Other writers start giving you ideas! I'd like to thank DimensionalLover for helping to put this idea into my head! This will be the first of (what I hope) is a four-story crossover-series, featured around NCIS!

SIDE-NOTE: The start of the routine Kate and Duckie into into is "AJAX Mortuary" by the comedy-duo of KGBS, Los Angeles, Disc-Jockeys "Emporer" Bob Hudson (7 Oct. 1929 - 20 Sep. 1997) and Ron Landry (24 Oct. 1934 - 16 Sep. 2002). Who else, besides me, remembers hearing that routine? I have to make sure I have aa copy of it on whatever disc-drive I have.

Cousin Jethro

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FBI-Agent Tobias Fornell heads into the Officer of NCIS-Director Leon Vance, flanked by Director Vance, while Gibbs and Shadowcat stand outside.

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As Jethro and Kathryn made it back to the car, they were met by Rahne Sinclaire, Shsron Smithe, and Jubilation Lee.

"She's not staying." Gibbs said matter-of-factly.

"We know, Agent Gibbs!" Rahne answered. "And, we understand! Believe me."

"We wouldn't want her to! Not under these circumstances!" Jubilation emphasized.

Jethro then noticed the various travel-bags by the car:

"Saying last good-byes?" Gibbs dead-panned.

"Can we come along?" Catseye asked, hopefully.

"Up to Kathryn if you came along." Gibbs commented.

"Well?" Shadowcat said, almost apologetically, "I am the closest thing to a big-sister these girls hsve.. and, a mom. Come on! You, too, Illyanna Nikoleanovna."

"Get inside, then! Get your bags in the car" Gibbs said. "Two of you can ride with Kate and Agent Bishop and me, the other two with Agents DiNozzo and McGee."

"Who's riding with us, boss?" DiNozzo asked as he and NcGee came out of the school.

"I am!" Illyanna answered.

"I am." Jubilee echoed.

"They're coming with us!" Gibbs answered. "Kat agreed to it!"

"Then climb on in, girls!" Tim said. "And, try to get comfortable!"

"We're msking a detoure!" Gibbd clled out. "Heading to Stillwater!"

"Oh! And , Boss?" McGee called out. "Nightcrawler said he'd warn us if any of the other X-Men decide to come after Kat earlier than planned."

In a minute, two federal cars were heading out of Salem Center.

"Alright, Ms. Rasputin," Tomy said as he drove the car toward New Jersey and Pennsylvania, "out with it! Tim and I know you are Kat's friend, and you are rather protective of your friends, but that's not the only reason you're here. So? Out with it! Why are you tagging along?"

"To keep from killing an idiot, Agent DiNozzo!" Illyanna muttered. "I heard one of your team - Agent Gibbs? - say that you had heard the fighting from the front foor? That fight haS been going on for months! There are only very small intervals of peace. Usually, they are offered by Kathryn. A few times, one of the other X-Men orders a cease-fire. NEVER does MY idiot-brother call a truce! And, who is the first one to start the fight over, again? Piotr Nikoleavich! If none could have stopped him this day? I would have teleported him to a place he would have needed MY HELP to return from! He would not have gotten it. Nyet! Once? I thought Poitr was just a big Russian farm-boy! Now? He is just big Russian man!"

"What about you, Ms. Lee?" Agent Tim McGee asked. "You've been awfully quiet since we left the school?"

"Just thinkin'." Jubilee said.

"About?" Tim asked.

"I want my rights read first." Jubilee replied as she stared out the window with the hint of a smile.

Tim Sighed. "Jubilation Lee? You have the right to remain silent without your attorney present. If you wish to give up the right to remain silent without an attorney present, then anything you say can and will be held aginst you in a court of law! If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you if you ao desire one. Do you wish to have An attoeney present?"

"No." Jubilee sniffed, wiping away a tear. "Just thinking of what Agent Gibbs said, back at the Mansion. What he told Storm. Storm an' me, aren't really that different, that way, y'know?"

"Kat's never struck me in the times I've seen and talked to her as one who cared that much about who you liked or didn't like." McGee replied. "She just cares about you! X-Men's example of 'Don't ask, don't tell'! At least, she was."

"Yeah." Junilee whispered. "That's Kate. But?" She raised her voice. "I never tried to come on to her, y'know? Not like Storm! And.. Kate never tried to hit on me! Not that I would've minded! A little flirting is nice. Anyway! I always wondered why Kate was like that? . She's always kind.. always wanting to be there for you.. a hug and a kiss. Never did get.. you know.. with anybody! She's always been my big-sister, I guess! My foster-mom."

"That's Kat!" Tony mused from behind the wheel. "Always wanting to be the mom she never seemed to have."

"Yeah." McGee affirmed. "The Boss told me about his cousin, and not in the most-flattering of terms!"

"Be thankful you just heard about her, Probie!" DiNozzo sighed. "I had the most-unpleasant experience of meeting the bitch!"

"Meeting her!?" Tim turned around to look and Tony. "When?"

"Last time Kat was in D.C." Tony responded. "I only knew her because she introduced herself as 'Theresa Pryde', and asked if I knew a 'Jethro Gibbs'? Said she recognized my CIS-logo."

"You never mentioned Theresa, before, Tony!" McGee interjected.

"I figured The Boss wouldn't want to hear about Kat's mom being in town." Tony answered, "and I knew Kat didn't need to hear about her mom being in town."

"I understand that." Tim grumbled.

"McGee?" Tony continued. "Have you ever known a mother not to talk about her own child?"

"Now that you mention it.." Tim mused. "No!"

"In all my years as a cop," Tony groused, "I've heard moms talk about their kids! Defending them, cursing them, or mourning them. But? Not Theresa Pryde! Not one time in our conversation did she mention she had a child, much less by name!"

Tony drove silently for a few minutes as everyone digested his revelation about Theresa Pryde nee Gibbs. He finally spoke again:

"I just want you to agree to one thing! Nobody says anything about Theresa to Kat or The Boss! Not yet, at least. Don't want any reunions in Stillwater to be harder than they might be, already."

"Yes, Sir!" Jubilee and Illyanna snapped out in unison.

"You got it, Tony!" Tim reassured his friend.

"Only have one more question for you girls!" Tony asked his and Tim's passengers. "Either of you have any idea why Kat was so gung-ho about finding a thumb-drive and bringing it with her before we got out of the school?"

"Nyet!" Illyanna answered.

"Not a clue!" Jubilee responded.

"Wonder if the person behind us knows?" Tim said checking his side-mimmor, again. "We got a bogie on a bike, hanging back about a click."

"Saw it, earlier." Jubilee responded. "It's Mr. Logan!"

Meamwhile, in the car ahead:

"I miss Uncle Jack." Shadowcat said as she seemed to stare ahead, bracketed by Wolfsbane and Catseye. "It's strange.. needing someone to talk to, and not having anyone." She slightly reddened as she turned to see Wolfsbane and Catseye. "No offence, guys, but..."

"None taken, Kitty-Kat." Catseye smiled. "We know what you mean!"

"Aye!" Wolfsbane added. "We understand. And, we agree! The mansion isna big enough t' be keepin' confidence!" She then lowered her voice to grouse. "Too many times, the wrong ears here the hurts."

"That's why we're stopping in Stillwater!" Gibbs said. "I've.. wanted to see dad and mom, anyway. Figured this is a good time to visit."

"Thank you, Jethro." Kathryn smiled. "Sure your boss won't mind?"

"As long as I don't have to discharge my side-arm," Gibbs chuckled wrily, "Leon won't mind! In fact, he said you sounded alot like me in your letter."

Now, it was Shadowcat's turn to laugh:

"That bad, huh?"

"I will admit," Jethro grinned, "that's the first time I can remember having a hit-list mailed to me that didn't have any of my team on it!"

"Yeah? Well..", Shadowcat sighed, "Things got bad."

"You could've called me .. before now, I mean." Gibbs said.

"I know." Shadowcat almost whined. "It's just.. well? Things didn't start going to hell until about.. six months ago?"

"Ye mean ye thought ye could hold it all inside until about six months ago," Wolfsbane looked at Shadowcat.

"Well? Yeah." Kathryn sighed. "Pretty much."

"You should have let Rahnie, Illyanna, and I start cleaning house when this started spilling over!" Catseye admonished Kathryn.

"Yeah, maybe?" Shadowcat admitted. "But? I didn't want you guys getting into trouble because of me, Sharon!"

"So, what kept you in-school until now?" Bishop asked, turning her head.

"These two!" Kate nodded to Wolfsbane and Catseye. "And the two magpies in the back with DiNozzo and McGee!"

"Love to talk?" Bishop grinned.

"Needed to talk, Agent Bishop!" Kate grew sullen. "Especially after all that happened. I'm sure that Illyanna has let them know about what she thinks of Piotr! And? Jubilee's let them know about Ororo."

"They worry about you!" Eleanore told Kathryn.

"I know." Kathryn sighed again. "I've been Illyanna's big-sister.. and mom.. since before the other girls showed up. Since the X-Men rescued her from a sociopathic killer-for-hire! He was using our family and friends to get at us. Real nut-case. Anyway, we're all Illyanna has! And? Jubilee and I have been friends ever since we first met."

"And what about you two?" Gibbs asked Wolfsbane and Catseye, glancing into the rear-view mirror.

"Shadowcat has been my friend since I first came t' Xavier's Institute!" Rahne answered. "Well? Almost. The first few weeks were a bit hard on us all. But, Kate's always tried to be there! Especially.. after I lost my foster-mum. My God-mother."

Gibbs nodded slightly. "And what about you, Catseye?"

"My name is Sharon Smith," The young woman answered. "And I was first introduced to Kate at the Massachusetts Academy! Didn't get to know her well, then. Thought Mama Kat would probably get into fights at school, then!"

Gibbs chuckled low. "Sounds like my school-days."

"Anyway!" Catseye continued. "Kathryn didn't stay long enough to find out. Go back to Xavier's. Too good for The Hellions of the Academy, I thought! Knew she'd get into fights with the other mutants at Academy! Certainly, left an impression on Ms. Frost!" She giggled at the memory, while Wolfsbame gasped and repremanded her.

"Yeah," Gibbs grinned. "Kat told me about that in a letter not too long after it happened. Said your Ms. Frost just sort of backed off after their first run-in! Said she could figure out why, especially since Emma Frost is a telepath!"

"Ms. Frost told me something scared her off, that night!" Catseye answered.

"Something SCARED the White Queen of The Hellfire?!" Wolfsbane asked increduosly.

"Yep!" Catseye giggled again, "And, whoever it was, it certainly wasn't the X-Men!"

"True," Kat recalled, "cause that was the night the Hellfire Club attacked the X-Mansion!"

"So, when did you become friends with my cousin, Sharon?" Gibbs asked.

"After Xavier gathered Rahne and her classmates!" Catseye answered. "Our classes had a friendly rivalry going on..."

"I wouldna be calling it a 'friendly rivalry', Sharon." Wolfsbane corrected Catseye.

"Nobody got killed." Catseye laughed. "Anyway! After a while. Some of us", she shot a smile to Wolfsbane, "managed to find a few ways to get into trouble. Just to break the monotony!"

Wolfsbane tried to slide down into the backseat. "Och! Now ye've doon it, Sharon!" She whimpered. "Now, and I'll be dyin' of embarassment!"

SShadowcat then pulled Wolfsbane into her side for support.

"Anytime, Rahne!" Sharon chirped. "Anyway, soon, Mama Kat, here, started helping dig Rahne and her friends out of any trouble we buried them in! And, I started seeing how much Kat cared for the others! So? I thought, as long as I was friends with Rahne, I might also be friends with Mama Kat! Been friends ever since!"

"Sounds like Kat's inherited my job!" Gibbs chuckled.

"Sounds like me with my brothers back in Oklahoma." Eleanor smiled. Then she picked up her cell-phone:

"Hello? Oh. Okay, Tim, I'll tell him."

"Tell me what, Bishop?" Gibbs said.

"McGee says we have a tail! Ms. Rasputin identified it as the Wolverine!"

"Probably making sure we get to Washington, safely!" Gibbs chuckled. "I'll talk to him when we get to Stillwater. Just getting to Port Jarvis, now."

About an hour later, NCIS and company pulled up to the General Store that was run by Leroy Jackson Gibbs before his death. Jethro greeting the new owner as he opened the door:

"Hello, Henry!"

"AGENT Gibbs!" Henry snapped to attantion.

"I'm off the clock, Henry!" Gibbs smiled bashfully. "It'd just 'Jethro'. You remember my team?"

"Yes, Sir, Jethro!" Henry smiled back. "Hello Agent DiNozzo! Agent McGee! Agent Bishop!" Henry smiled. "Say!" He then pointed to Shadowcat. "Isn't that Mr. Gibbs' cousin?"

"Hello, Henry!" Kathryn smiled. "Yes, it's me! Jethro thought we'd come out and visit Uncle Jack before we headed to Washington. Didn't get to spend the time here, last time, that I wanted to." Kat sighed. "Oh! Henry! I want you to meet my friends and 'foster-daughters'- Sharon Smith. Rahne Sinclaire, Illyanna Rasputina, and Jubilation Lee!"

"Hello, Ms. Smith!" Henry smiled as he shook hands and received hugs. "Hello, Ms. Sinclaire! Ms, Rasputina! Hello, Ms. Lee!"

"Let'em shop while we're all here, Henry! And? I'll probably have another friend dropping by in about a minute or two! Take care of him until we get back. Jethro and I are heading to the cemetery for an hour or two, I think."

"Will do, Ms. Pryde!" Henry answered.

Soon, the NCIS-Team, Shadowcat, and her girls were at the cemetary. Most of the group decide to stay at a distnce while Gibbs and Pryde paid their resprcts.

"The way.. she.. always talked about him," Rahne said, "I always though Kathryn and Jackson were close! As close as me and.. well? Definitely as close and she and Agent Gibbs! That's.. why I didnae go with them. I'd just be interfering."

"Da." Illyanna whisper. "I would feel.. the need for an introduction! And? An apology!"

"An apology?" Eleanore asked. "Why?"

"For being a witch" Illyanna answered.

"I wouldn't worry about it!" McGee said simply. "Jackson would understand."

"We'll go in, later!" DiNozzo said. "They need some time alone."

"I don't think they're alone." Sharon whispered low, nodding towards a rising mists not far from Kate and Gibbs.

"Neither are we." Jubilee growled, as a motercyclist started his bike and drove off in the direction they'd come from.

"Hello, Uncle Jack.. Aunt Anne." Kate spoke low, placing a small rock on each grave. "I'm.. sorry... for not visiting sooner, but.. things were getting bad at school. Haven't had time to drop by, like I should,"

"That's alright, Kathryn!" An old man answered Shadowcat from behind her. "We understand how life can go. We lived it."

Slowly, and a bit fearfully, Kate turned around.

"Uh.. uh.. Uncle Jack?"

"Hello, Dad!" Jethro smiled. "Hello, Mom!"

"Hello, Jethro!" Jackson grinned at his son. "Giving Kat a vacation?"

"Well?" Jethro answered. "Even with the mess Washington can be, still seems a whole lot better than Salem Cwnter!"

"Can't help but agree with you, there, son!" Jackson sighed. "been looking in on Kate. School's a mess!"

"That's okay, Uncle Jack!" Shadowdat grinned, "If worst comes to worse, I know a few places to go! I'll let Jethro know where I'll be, then vanish!"

"Sounds like somebody's planned this escape for a while!" Gibbs' mother smiled.

"It's better than having to kill someone." Kate and Jethro said at the same time and in the samed low, tired voice.

"Sounds just like the man I love!" A voice answered from in back of Jethro and Kate. "And the girl I always thought of as a second daughter! Hello, Jethro! Hello. Kate!" Gibbs and Shadowcat turned around ever so slowly:

"Hello, Shannon."

"Aunt Shannon!"

"Glad to see you finally escaped, Kittykat!" A young girl's ghost smiled.

"I've missed you, Kelly," Kathryn smiled, then giggled, "Thought I felt someone watching over me, even before Uncle Jack died. My 'guardian angrl'."

"Not too angelic," Kelly giggled, "will admit to the 'gaurdian'-part, though! Just want to be most of all a polterfeist, sometimes! Piotr needs more of a punch than you give him! I do like the thought of the idiot losing his equipment, though!"

"You.. heard.. that?" Kate asked quietly, her jaw dropping farther after each word.

"Yep!" Kelly said. "Agreed with it, too! So did they!" Kelly pointed to another pair of ghosts.

Kathryn turned, and gasped.

"you knew them?" Gibbs asked Kate.

"Doug?" Kate slowly asked in a trembling voice as she reached out. "Marie Ange?"

"You Okay, Kitty?" Doug asked.

"I don't know." Kate mumbled. "Getting there, I guess. Gonna need some time away from the school, you know?"

"We understand, Kathryn!" Marie Ange spoke in her Continental-French accent. "I am quite amazed zat Catseye did not try to tear anyone apart!"

"Blame Rahne and I for stopping her." Kate found herself softly chuckling. "Didn't want anyone getting in trouble for me.. no matter how much anyone deserved it."

"Yeah, Kitty." Doug smiled, "We're here. Just waiting for when you need us."

"Thanks, Doug." Shadowcat smiled.

"Douglas?" Rahne whispered in a fearful voice from in back of Kathryn and Jethro.

"Hello, Rahne!" Doug smiled. "How've you been? Dr. McTaggert's been worried about you, and about Kitty, ever since she crossed over."

"Och! Ya can tell her I'm alright, now, Douglas!" Rahne smirked, "True, and I've escaped the Madhouse for a wee bit!"

"What's happened at Xavier's, anyway?" Tim asked from the semi-circle in back.

"Ze inmates have finally gained control of ze assylum!" Marie Ange stated.

"Truer words have never been spoken, Tarot!" Sharon said.

"And, probably, never will again!" Marie Ange and Douglas replied.

"Annie?" Jackson announced. "I'd like you to meet Jethro's family, or half of them, and Kathryn's family!"

"And, a better family God could not have found for her, than who stands with her, now!" A new voice enetered the conversation. "Hello, Kitten."

"Hello, dad." Kathryn smiled softly. "You didn't have to come. I've.. read.. how hard it can be to cross worlds."

"I had to come," Csrmen Pryde replied. "My Kitten was hurting." The ghost wrapped his spirit around his daughter.

"I miss you, daddy!" Kathryn whispered through forming tears.

"I know." Carmen whispered. "I miss you, too!" Ghostly eyes then looked up to meet Gibbs' eyes.

"Look after my Kitten, Jethro, when you can? Please?"

"I always have, Carmen." Gibbs answered. "You do what you do for family."

After introductions and a promise from Kate and Jethro to return, Kathryn pulled a couple of rocks from her pockets:

"From the last time I made it back to Deerfield. I thought.. that would be the last time I ever saw the place I grew up! So? I found some rocks for a small memorial. Now? The memorial comes here." Kat laid a stone each on Jackson and Anne's graves, and on the graves of Shannon and Kelly.

Kathryn then looked again at Jackson's grave and smiled. "Looks like someone else had the same idea!"

Kat was followed by Jethro. "I know you're always with me.. in spirit." He whispered. "May this be here, close, until I come here to rest."

These were followed by Rahne, Sharon, Illyanna, and Jubilee, and - suprisingly - Tony and Tim!

"We wern't able to make it home, that much!" Jubilee said. "So? Illyanna made the trips back home with us! She said - that - we'd want the rocks for 'a time to come'. I think she meant now!"

"I wish.. I could have met ye among the living, Mr. Gibbs," Rahne breathed softly, "you, and Mrs. Gibbs, and Shannon and Kelly! But? I've met Kathryn! And? She's allowed us - allowed me - to be part of her family. I'd like to believe.. that.. I can be a part of yuirs."

Then, as the ghostly-audience departed into the mists Kathryn sang a psalm, and the living left back for the store.

Soon, the group was back at the store, stocking-up on snacks for the trip back to the Navy Yard.

Hello, Mr. Gibbs!" Harry called out. "Things Okay at the cemetery? Oh! And, we have a visitor!" He pointed to the corner.

"Hello. Logan!" Jathro said. "Long wait for us?"

"A bit, but, I don't mind! Been talkin' to Henry. Wonderin' if I could stick around here for a few days." Wolverine replied.

"Dad's house is open to visitors!" Gibbs said. "Just remember to puck up after yourself."

Always do." Logan said. "Good coffee. Henry said it's your dad's roast?"

"Strong enough to keep the miner's up and working!" Gibbs grinned as he poured himself and Kat two cups from behind the counter.

"Strong enouhgh to keep a sniper up?" Logan grinned.

"It'll do!" Gibbs replied.

"You leave the memorial-stone for Uncle Jack, Logan?" Kat asked.

"Ya noticed that, eh? "Logan chuckled. "Yeah. It was me! Never had the pleasure of meeting the man! But? If his son and neice are any indication? Leroy Jackson Gibbs would've been a good man to know!"

"He was!" Gibbs smiled. "We had our problems getting along, at times! But? That was me."

"Why didn't you stick around, Logan?" Kate asked. "At the cemetery?"

"Figured you and your cousin neeed some time alone. Besides? Somethin' made the hackles on the back of my neck stand up! Never been too comfortable around ghosts, fer some reason."

"Too many old enemies?" Gibbs asked.

"Probably." Wolverine replied. "I am an old warrior."

"Meant to ask you about that, Jethro!" Kat said. "Have.. you always been able to see ghosts? At first.. when I started seeing them, it started freaking me out! You know?"

"I know." Gibbs shrugged. "I didn't know who to tell about it! At first? I wasn't sure if I should tell anybody!"

"Is it a mutant-power of some kind?" Kathryn asked.

"Nah! Don't think so." Gibbs replied. "If it was, the Marines would have discharged me years ago! Mutants aren't allowed in the military! Something about a treaty signed with the Russians back in the Soviet-says. Mutants still find their ways into the military, I've heard, just not here. And? In Intelligance agencies. Besides? From what dad used to tell me, ghost-talkers have been found in his family - and mom's - for years! Same thing with the eyes."

"You mean that stare is patented, Boss?" Tony asked.

"If it isn't, DiNozzo?" Gibs said without missing a beat. "It should be! Everyone ready to get to the Naval Yard?"

About two hours later, the team and their companions walked into the MCRT-bullpen.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby Schiutto - NCIS' resident lab-rat and goth - ran into Gibbs, hitting him with half the speed of the Bullet Train, and a slightly-annoyed look on her face. She then placed her hands on her hips and tried to stomp in Gibbs' foot in protest!

"Why didn't you TELL ME you were going after Kat? WHY did I have to get the information from Fornell?"

"Because Leon warned me to avoid blodshed at the school." Gibbs explained to the lab-tech. "And, so did Bishop. At first."

"`At first'?" Schiutto looked at at her boss. "Run into any Summers?"

"The oldest-brother." Gibbs sighed.

"And his wife!" Bishop goused.

"Damn!" Abby spat out. "Well? I would have made sure any injuries looked like accidents."

"Juat what Tobias said, Abbs!" Gibbs smirked.

"Well.." Abby pouted a bit. "Where's my..", she looked around as a impish grin slowly developed, "LITTLE GIBBS!"

Abbie then hugged Kathryn life a life preserver! "You're okay?" she whispered softly.

"Am, now!" Kat said softly.

Abbie then saw the four students that came in behind Kat, a let out a low growl:

"What are THEY doing here?!"

"Pax, Abbie!" Kathryn backed up. "Everything is cool! They're my little sisters, and they're with me! Abbie? I'd like you to meat Rahne Sinclaire, Sharon Smythe, Jubilation Lee, and Illyanna Rasputina! Girls? This is Abigaile Schuitto, resident-goth and The District's best forensics' lab-technician!"

"Well..", Abbie turned a bit pink. "I wouldn't go THAT far."

"I would." Shadowcat deadpanned a half-second later.

"Well, Hello, KATHRYN!" Ducky almost sang out, still in his scrubs. "I overheard Tobias and Abigail saying Jethro had gone to bring you down from the mountrain! I wondered when you'd be coming in to see us?"

"Well, I'm here, Uncle Donald!" Kathryn giggled as she hugged the M.E.

"Just come in from Autopsy?" Kathryn asked. "I hope we haven't dropped in in the middle of an investigation!"

"Don't worry, Kathryn!" Ducky said. "Mr. Palmer and I were just reviewing notes on the last cases, just in case someone at Justice decides to toss a case back down to us. And? We DID make sure our latest client made it back home for burial."

"Okay! Just checking!" Kathyrn smiled. "Oh? Girls? I'd like you to meet Dr. Donald Mallard, also known as 'Ducky', one of the Navy's best M.E.s. I'd call him the best, but he himself won't. A bit modest, that way."

"A Medical Examiner?" Rahne asked.

"A coroner?" Sharon said.

Illyanna chuckled. "Just the person the X-Men need to know!"

"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng!" Kate trilled, picking up an imaginary phone.

"Yyyyyyyyyyes?" Ducky "answered the phone", mimicking Boris Karloff. "ACHEW!"

"God Bless You!" Kate replied.

"I don't need any outside help!" Ducky ansnwered in "offended" Boris-Karloff-mode. "AJAX Mortuary, where - DEADLINESS is next to GODLINESS!"

"Huh?" Kate asked in a voice somewhere between just-woke-up and inebriated.

"You keep sending them over," Ducky continued as if he were doing a commercial, "we'll keep putting them down! Way down. 'Way down upon the Suwannee .. ACHEW!"

"God bless you!" Kathryn giggled.

"What are ou? not some sort of religious fanatic?" Ducky playfully groused. "What do you want, anyway?"

"I'm lookin' for a funeral-house!" Kathryn answered.

"You'er in, like, the PORCH-CLIMBER!" Ducky's mimic went into excited-mode. "Ajax Mortuary's the name.. DEATH! Is the game!"

Then, without missing a beat, Kathryn - joined by Ranhe, Sharon, Jubilee, and Illyanna - and Eleanore Bishop - chimed in:

"Well, DEAL ME IN, my brother's dead!"

And, the rest of the team - who had been stiffling their laughter (or trying to) through the routine - suddenly broke out into hysteria at the punchline!

"And you will only hear that when Kathryn is around!" Ducky said between chuckles.

"In all seriousness, thought!" Kathryn said as she calmed down. "If anything EVER happened to us that required their services? I'd rather have Donald and Abigaile handling us, to see what killed us!"

"And, what if it were someone in the Navy who did the deed?" Jubilee asked.

"Then, Ms. Lee?" Director Vance said from the top of the stairway. "Whoever pulled the trigger better have a bullet for themselves! Because? If Jethro didn't kill them, I will!"

"Ah! Director Leon Vance! Jethro wrote me about you." Kathryn went halfway up the stairs and saluted the Director crisply. "Kathryn Anne Pryde reporting for duty, sir! Permission to come on-board, sir?"

"Permission granted! At ease, Ms. Pryde. And, I welcome your team aboard! And? I have been in contact with SecNav about you ladies! I thought it might be a good idea to make sure you have security-passes for your stays here in D.C.! So? if you will make your way to Receptiom, later? But, first, Ibelieve there's someone else here who wishes to see you!"

"Hello, Kitten!"

"Uncle TOBIAS!"

Kathryn took the remaining stairs two-at-a-time to reach the F.B.I. Assistant-Director and atomatically enveloped him in a hug!

"I missed you." She softly said to the old man.

"I missed you, too, Kitten." Fornell looked at Kathryn:

"Did the new toys work?"

"Yep!" Kathryn giggled. "Certainly surprised a few of the teachers! Heehee!"

"Good!" Fornall smiled. "Maybe that will ease up on your problems!"

"I don't know, Uncle Tobias!" Kathryn thought about it. "This is the X-Men we're talking about!"

"What happened Kate?" Fornell asked.

"I'd.. rather not go into it, Uncle Tobias." Kathryn whispered. "Not right now. Maybe later. Okay?"

"Okay, Kitty." Tobias relented. "Later. But, there is something my bosses want me to ask you about. It concerns the disappearance of data from a government-op of a few years back." Fornell's appearence seemed to take of on darker coloring as his features mirrored a darker-mood at a memory:

"Kate? Would you happen to know of any data related to an 'Operation: Wide-Awake'?"

"I do, Uncle Tobias!" Kathryn looked the Agent straight in the eyes and calmly spoke:

"I'm the one who purged the data pertaining to the X-Men from the files, but not before downloading it onto back-up drives!"

Tobias Fornell stared, open-mouthed, at Kathryn Pryde, and then down toward Agent Gibbs.

"If she said she did it, Tobias, she did it! I've never known Kat to admit to something she didn't do!"

Tobias looked, again, at his adopted-great-nuece and softly asked, "Why?"

"Under the NAZIs, the Gestapo used the files of other agencies, as well as informants, to hunt down Jews and Gypsies. What would have kept another agency, in the future, from feeding the information collected on the X-Men, and downloading it into the Sentinal-Program? I had my own questions about the legality of what we did, but? The X-Men were my family, even at that point!"

"Dammit." Tobias swore. "I hated our dealings with the Trasks! I had a feeling their anti-mutant agenda would get us into trouble! And? I had hoped like HELL the whole Sentinal-mess had been scrapped!"

Fornell than looked over to Bishop:

"This the NSA's mess? Or the CIA's?"

"NSA's." Eleanore affirmed.

"Son-of-a-bitch! Looked like something the NSA would have like to have it's fingers in! But, how is it possible? The Trasks are DEAD! Larry Trask was killed by a Sentinsal, himself! I thought the Sentinal-Program had safely died with them!"

"I was never able to learn who rebuilt the Sentinals, Agent Fornell," Bishop replied, "or how. Sorry."

"All that matters is they're online, now." Fornell groused. "I wished I would have read you your rights, Kathryn, so you would have had the choice of staying quiet until a lawyer showed up,"

"That's okay, Uncle Tobias! I just would have waived them." Kathryn smiled.

"Well? Be that as it may, I'm still got to tell my Superiors about this! I'm sure they'll want to talk to you."

Kathryn nodded her head.

"Good. You and your girls go to Jethro's and have some supper and settle in after work. I'm sure this circus will start tomorrow." Tobias said. "Leon? I'm going to have to borrow your phone." Entering Vance's office before closing the door, Tobias chuckled:

"Hard-headed.. just like Jethro!"

"Sure thing, Tobias." Vance said.


	4. Chapter 4

Cousin Jethro

(An NCIS - X-Men Crossover)

None of the Characters used in the work are not mine. The cast of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles belong to Donald Balisario. The characters from the various X-Men titles belong to Marvels Comics and their - over the years - various editors, artists, and writers! I am just borrowing them to play with.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is what happens when you read too many fan-fictions! Other writers start giving you ideas! I'd like to thank DimensionalLover for helping to put this idea into my head! This will be the first of (what I hope) is a four-story crossover-series, featued around NCIS!

Also, is this chapter, I introduce the MCRT from Los Angeles: Sam Hannah, G. Callen, Marty Deeks, Kenzie Blye, Psychiatrist Nate Getz, Eric Beale, Nel Jones, and the boss, Henrietta Lange.

Cousin Jethro

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Henrietts Lange sends the Los Angeles-CIS MCRT to bringback Shadowcat and her bodyguards.

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As Jethro Gibbs opened the door to his house just outside Washington, Kathryn started to herd her protectors inside.

"Okay!" Jethro announced as he, Kathryn and Junilee brought in the groceries. "Decide who gets cleaned up first! We ohave one full restroom here! Kat? You're helping me in the kitchen, because we need to talk."

"Yes, Jethro." Shadowcat smiled.

An hour and a half later, with chili and spaghetti on the stove-burners and bread in the oven, Jethro turned to Kathryn:

"Okay, Kat! Out with it! I know what you told Tobias about erasing the F.B.I.'s files on the X-Men was true. But? I also know there's more to that story than that! You're not the type to hang on to incriminating-evidence, usually. So?  
>What's the rest of the story? For one thing, how did the F.B.I. wind up having files on the X-Men?"<p>

"That's as good a place to start as any, I guess." Kathryn sighed, a far-away look in her eyes. "Professor Xavier said that in the 1960s the FBI was investigating possible-Un-American activities and groups, and that he and the original X-Men fell in the FBI's sights! So, The Professor found himself co-operating with an FBI agent by the name of Fred Duncan. A good bit of information was gathered, but? Since that X-Nen were not seen as a threat at the time, no federal-case was ever built and the data was stored-away and forgotten!"

"Until?" Gibbs prodded Kat as he checked the chili.

"Until about eight years back," Kathryn continued. "When a Senator from New York named Robert Kelly started an investigation into mutants and other super-humans that blossomed into 'Opperation Wide-Awake'!" Kate closed her eyes and shivered at the memory. "Xavier and the older X-Men remembered the data collected on them, and Cyclops decided - for the 'good of everyone involved' - that the evidence had to be erased! And? Since I was the X-Man with the most computer-skills at the time, I was 'asked' to put together a program that would mine the data and distroy it without leaving any trace of how the system was breached!"

Jethro chuckled. Kat was too much like him. How many times had he told Tim to do something similar?

"So? Why didn't you destroy the data once you recovered it on disk?" Gibbs asked.

"Because Professor Xavier wanted to go over the original data so he could correlate everything he had stored at the school!" Kathryn replied. "And? He asked me to help him! That might not have been the best move on his part, because it allowed me toreview my part in the job and why I did it."

Gibbs smiled grimly and knowingly and nodded. "When the job is done, Kat, walk away."

"I know, Jethro." Kathryn sighed. "Rule No. 11. I screwed up."

"Nah." Gibbs smiled. "Xavier screwed up by making you replay your part in that! You viewed the evidence, and reviewed it. until you were satisfied with the conclusions! Even if you aren't satisfied with why Summers and Xavier did what they did! But! Now! Tell me this! Do you still believe in why you helped hack into the FBI files?"

"Yes." Kathryn nodded. "If anyone in the national government ever wanted to go on a mutant-hunt? All they would had have to do was go through the FBI's files on us! The files contained the names and personal-histories of Professor Xavier and the original X-Men, along with what was known about the X-Men's adversaries, including Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! Also? Somehow, they had files on the next group of X-Men, including me! If they had wanted to learn about the newer students? all they would have had to do was track us older X-Men and the Professor! That is what the Gestapo did in Europe, trace the undesirables through the public records they left! But? As I read the FBI-files, I started to think that, maybe, taking them and distroying them was not the best thing to do. Sure! There are always going to be leaders who are as xenophobic as the people they shepherd, but? Does that mean we have to run the risk of making enemies of those who might want to help us?"

"So, that's why you kept the files?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes." Kathryn nodded. "Just waiting for a chance to convince the X-Men that we should cooperate with the authorities when given the chance. But..."

"That chance hasn't come?" Gibbs asked his cousin.

"And, probably, never will! Unless I find a way to force it!" Kathryn moped.

"I might have done the same thing in my younger-days." Gibbs chuckled.

'Might have, Probie?' Mike Franks' voice sounded in his head. 'i remember you telling me about a hunting-trip to Mexico you planned?'

"Yeah." Gibbs growled slowly. "So? What happens, now?"

"I talk to the FBI, and take whatever punishment they decide to give me." Kate sighed. "The X-Men are my family, Jethro, but, so are you! And, by extention, NCIS! Especially since you're the only living blood-relative I have left alive. Besides mom. And, only God knows where she is. I really screwed-up. Just hope the girls will look after each other. Don't know if the X-Men can. Not anymore."

"Kate?" Rahne came into the kitchen. "The bathroom is fit for you to use! And, we'll be eating after you've finished?"

"Okay, Rahne!" Kathryn smiled. "I'll be right out!"

"Is she really in that much trouble, Sargeant Gibbs?" Rahne asked quietly after Kathryn left.

'I don't know, Ms. Sinclaire!" Gibbs admitted. "Depends on how far the FBI wants to take this!"

"Och, please, and call my 'Rahne'!" Rahne blushed. "'Ms. Sinclaire' sounds much too formal for me! Makes me sound more mature than I am!"

"Yoou're mature enough to be a soldier, Rahne!" Gibbs told the woung Scotswoman. "From what Kat's wrote me about you!"

"True." Rahne looked away amd shivered slightly. "And the truth is, Sergeant Gibbs, there are times when I wish I weren't. There are times when I wished I could turn back the clock."

"I know the feeling, Rahne!" Gibbs sighed. "Want some coffee?"

"A wee bit, thank you!" Rane accepted the offer.

"How much did you and the girls overhear!" Gibbs asked.

"Between the four of us?" The Scotswoman admitted. "We heard it all! Each of us got an overview as we got out of the shower..."

"Any of you know about what's on Kat's drive?" Gibbs asked.

"I dinnae know of the thing until today!" Rahne admitted. "Aye, and neither did most of the others. Kat's been tight-lipped aboot it tae us! I guess she was scared of what the knowing of it would turn us into! She gets very protective of us, many times. Sometimes, if I watch and listen to her, talking tae us, it seems as if she's aging way beyond her years! Usually, it's when she's telling us that some secrets are not worth keeping! That the keeping of them will kill ye like a cancer! I would be guessing she means what's on the drive? I'm guessing that, if any of us know what's on the drive, it would be Illyanna! She seemed the least - surprised of the lot of us when Kathryn started talking to Agent Fornell! By the way! I hope you don't mind my prying, but how is Agent Fornell Kathryn's uncle? I heard Kate call you her only living-relative besides her mum?"

"Tobias is her uncle-by-marriage," Gibbs smiled and chuckled. "Tobias married my ex-wife!"

"Agent Fornell is married to your ex-wife?" Rahne asked. "And you two are friends?"

"WAS married to my ex-wife." Gibbs grinned. "They've since divorced. I tried to warn him what she was like! That's part of our friendship, Rahne! Shared misery."

"Alright, ladies, gather 'round the table! Dinner's ready!" Kate announced. "Chili's hot and the bread is fresh!"

Soon, Gibbs and five young ladies were sitting around the table, passing food around.

"Yo! Gibbs!" Jubilee said, "Thanks you for the chili, it's FANTASTIC!"

"Not too spicy, I hope?" Gibbs grinned.

"Just a little bit spicier tham Mr. Logan's!" Rayne offered. "He may even want the recipe!"

"He might?" Gibbs sniled between a forkful of speghetti and chili and a bite of bread. "He wants it, he can have it! All he needs to do is ask for it."

"Okay!" Jubilee cheered, "More Hermephrodite-Repellent!"

"We sure need it!" Illyanna groused.

"'Hermephrodite-Repellent'?" Jethro asked.

"Cyclops is the 'It' everybody's talking about, Jethro!" Kat excplained. "Everyone loves Logan's chili but Scott. Sometimes, I think Logan makes the chili just to piss Scott off. Not that we really care!"

"Summers is a Hermephrodite?" Jethro asked.

"Not physically," Kathryn said, "It's more like.."

"He's a dick when Lady Jean Gray isn't around.." Jubilee began.

"And, a pussy when she is!" Illyanna finished.

"Is he always that bad?" Jethro winced, remembering the run-in at the school.

"When Lord Summers isn't sulking?" Sharon started, "His voice is set in two modes: Bitching.."

"And whining." Rahne finished, after taking some water.

"How do you girls put up with him?" Jethro asked.

"Avoidance!" Five voices sounded as one.

After a few more minutes of eating and talking, Jethro and the girls were interrupted by a knock at the front door:

"Whoever it is, come on in!" Jethro called out. "Door's open!"

"I figured as much!" Tobias answered. "Hello, Jethro! Hello, ladies!"

Fornell took a sniff. "My God, Jethro! You've known most of these girls for less than 24 hours, and you're already trying to kill them? The poor kids are gonna die from spice-overdose!"

"They seem to like it?" Jethro grinned.

"You mean, they survived it?" Tobias chuckled.

"They survived." Gibbs chuckled. "Even asked for seconds!"

"My god," Fornell responded, "Those girls could live through ANYTHING!"

"Well.?" Jubilee admitted sheepishly. "It is just a LITTLE spicier than 's?"

"Hey!" Kat laughed. "Logan does adjust the heat! You've just tasted his Summers Special!"

Gibbs coughed to keep from laughing out loud.

"'Summers Special'?" Fornell asked.

"'Dick Summers', Mr. Fornell!" Illyanna replied. "Master Scott Summers! But? Only when Lady Jean Grey is around!"

"Oh, God," Fornell growled, "that sounds like the reports from the Bureau in California when they've have to interact with Alex Summers! At least, when Lorna Danes's not there. And? When she is."

"So, why isn't Remy like his brothers?" Sharon observed. "He HAS been around Rogue, enough! Hasn't he?"

"Probably, from never growing up tagged a 'Summers'!" Jubilee answered as she reached for another piece of bread.

"You mean, there's THREE of 'em running around?" Tobias asked.

"Afraid so, Uncle Tobias." Kathryn sighed. Then she smiled. "But, don't worry! Remy's more level-headed than his older brothers!"

"More level-headed..." Illyanna counted off. "More sociable..."

The girls said as one around the table, "More Eeverything!"

"OH, GOODIE!" Emily said, clapping her hands and jumping up and down as her eyes shined with glee. "I get to sit-in on a BITCH-SESSION!"

"Emily..." Fornell warned.

"And, how do ye know how to spot a bitch-session-in-progress, Ms..." Rahne interrogated Emily.

"Emily Fornell, Ms. Sinclaire!" Emily smiled at Rahne, offering her hand.

"You remember how Abbie called me 'Little Gibbs', earlier today, Rahne?" Kathryn grinned. "Well, meet 'Little Fornell'!"

"God, I hope not!" Her father smiled at the thought. "This town's gonna be in trouble if she is!"

"You want her to be more like Diane, Tobias?" Gibbs smiled after swallowing the last of his spaghetti and chili. "Besides? Washington stays in trouble!"

"Right on both counts, Gibbs!" Tobias chuckled.

"Anyway, Ms. Sinclaire!" Emily continued. "I can recognize a bitch-session because I've been in the middle of a few!  
>Dad's with the F.B.I., and mom works for Treesury! They try to keep their work at work, but, sometimes? It's impossible.<br>Anyway! We brought the perfect compliments to a bitch-sssion, Ice-cream and coke!"

"Coke and Ice-cream?" Kathryn meeped. "Perfect to go with cake! Girls? We have a new-member of the Bitch-Club! Now, let's get back to the bedroom for a meeting!"

"Before you kidnap my little girl, Kat?" Fornell said, "I have one thing to say, and another to ask."

"Oh-oh!" Kathryn breathed out. "I was thinking this would come up. Okay, Uncle Tobias, what is it?"

"Firast, the announcement." Tobias started. "I talked to my bosses about the erased-info on the X-Men. They said that, although they plan on being kept in the loop, they'd rather leave the questioning to the Navy."

"Well? at least, that keeps you from any 'conflict-of-interrst'-accusations, Uncle Tobias!" Kathryn said.

"They're nae expecting NCIS tae do the deed!" Rahne asked, "are they?"

"No, Rahne!" Gibbs replied. "At least not the home-team. They wouldn't want me or my team doing the interrogations, for the same reason Tobias won't be questioning anyone! They'll probably send a JAG-lawyer to the Yard!"

He then turmed to Tobias.

"So? Who are they calling in, Tobias?"

"Henrietta Lange, out of Los Angeles. She's coming in tomorrow noon." Fornell answered.

"That's good." Gibbs replied. "Worked with her, before. She's tough, but fair. Thanks for the head's up, Tobias!"

"You're welcomed, Jethro!" Tobias answered before turning back to Kathryn. "Now, Kat? You told me why you erased the Bureau's files, but, you never told me why you backed them up!"

"Profssor Xavier asked me to!" Kathryn amswered. "His one stipulation for authorizing that fiasco was that we copy the data for him to scrutinize!"

"That'a why you kept the data? And transferred it to newer drives?" Fornell asked.

"At first, sir, yes, sir!" Kathryn answered. "At first, Xavier wanted me to go over the data, to help him determine if he needed to re-do any updates on the X-Men."

"At first?" Tobias asked.

"Yes, sir. At first." Kate fidgeted and sighed. "Then? The more I looked at the evidence, the history, the more I thought that what we - what I - did was wrong! The Sentinals CAN be a danger, not only to mutants, but to humanity as a whole, but we X-Men erasing our existence from government-agency files just opens the door wide for government-use of the Sentinal-program!"

"Did you try to tell the X-Men this, Kathryn?" Fornell asked.

"Too many times to remember all of them, Uncl Tobias!" Kathryn answered. "But, none of the 'adults' listened!"

"So, what brought you to D.C., this time, Kathryn? Knowing you, that data was not enough to cause you to automatically run to Jethro and call me to help? What's wrong?"

"That's.. what I was afraid... you'd ask me.. Uncle Tobias!" Kate stuttered. "Things.. aren't going so great at school."

"Is it Rasputin?" Tobias asked with concern.

"I wish it were only Peter." Kathryn whispered. "The..neglect.. the fights.. I could handle! I don't like it. But, I could deal with it. But? Lately? Within the past year? Ororo's been.. looking at me.. touching me. I'm scared. And I hate it!"

The house grew quiet as a young women started to let go of her tears.

"It's not that I'm a homophobe! Don't worry, Jubilee! We're still friends! It's just that.. DAMN IT! I've looked to Storm like a MOM almost since the first day I came to SCHOOL! And? Especislly since the divorce and mom's disapperance. Having Ororo.. having her.. think of me that way.. as territory to mark and claim... scares the HELL out of me! Mom and I aren'r real close, anymore. Not since dad died. But, SHE never looked at me that way!"

Kathryn than curled into Jethro's protective-embrace and whimpered softly:

"I want my mommy!"

Soon, the girls hustled Kathryn into the bedroom, and Jethro and Tobias went into the basement-workshop.

"Dammit, Jethro!" Tobias spat out, clearly aggitated. "Why isn't that bitch into a New York prison?! I can think of two or three State-Agencies that would love to do just THAT!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Tobias!" Jethro sighed. "But? My guess in it has something to do with interference from the school."

"You mean Charles Xavier?" Tobias asked. "Is he thst desperate to keep his team together?"

"Kat told he the Professor wants to creates a safe-haven for mutants!" Jethro mused as he sanded the boat he was working on. "And? A dream like that CAN make a person overlook danger-signs in others that you consider allies. Even a telepath like Xavier! But? He's not the only telepath in the X-Men!"

"You mean, Emma Frost?" Tobias said. "Or, someone else?"

"The name's 'Jean Grey', Tobias!" Gibbs answered. "When I went to pick Kat up from school? She was having an argument with three of the X-Men.. Peter Rasputin, Ororo Monroe, and Jean Grey!"

"Great!" Tobias groused. "Another Telepath! And? Xavier's protogee, nonetheless! No wonder nobody's done anything 'til now! What kept you from killing anyone? Vance?"

"Yep." Gibbs said as he continued sanding.

"And, why, exactly, is that BITCH not ROTTING in some jail cell right now?" Emily Fornell's words almost echoed her father's.

"Two words," Illyanna answered Emily. "'Jean Grey'."

"A telepath is PROTECTING a predator?!" Emily tried not to scream.

"More like sleeping with the predator!" Jubilee stated.

"Yeah. The worst-kept secret at Xavier's school!" Sharon added. "The only one who didn't seem to know about their affair was Scott Summers!"

"Ouch." Emily muttered. "The husband's always the last to know."

"If he didn't know before NCIS came to school today," Kat chuckled through threatening tears, "He does, now! Especially, after Tony grabbed him and read him my letter to Jetho!"

"If he, like, didn't know?" Jubilee stated, "He's pathetic."

"Oh, he knew!" Illyanna answered. "He just didn't want to know."

"And he hasn't done of said ANYTHING?!" Jubilee screeched. "Oh, GOD! That's even MORE pathetic! He didn't even wanna Watch?! Doesn't sound like any guys I know! It's obviously a eunuch."

"So.. 'Mama Hen'?" Sharon looked at Kathryn. "What's on the thumb-drive that has the FBI so worked up?"

"Nothing that I'm sure they haven't found out and updated, since." Kathryn sniffed away a tear. "It's information the FBI built up of the origin class of Xavier's X-Men, back in the last days of J. Edgar Hoover! Back.. before.. they started to tackle the human genome. let alone dream about cracking the mutant-genome! It was that original data that was going into the Sentinal-Project. At least.. that's all we thought it was When.. ah.. when we.. when I.. looked at what we.. what I stole, I found out that the FBI had information of the second-team, as well! Including me. Anyway? Like I said. It's info that I'm sure, looking back, they could have re-gathered and updated since then. But It's just the fact that we stole those files! Makes us look like some rogue agency or cartel! And? I'm sure acting like that is costing us any friends we may have down here!"

"Ye mean, the Buraeu was able t' update everything on the school?" Rahne asked.

"Pretty much everything." Emily responded. "At least, that's what dad told me as we came here, tonight. FBI still considers the break-in a black eye, though!"

"I figured." Kathryn sighed.

"Well? The info's been murky the last couple of years." Emily corrected.

"Well? I've seriously been thinking of up-loading all the details for the last year, Ms. Fornell!" Illyanna said. "Especially, after what happened to Kathryn! The wrong people are in charge of the school. AND IT HURTS TOO MANY OF US!"

"YOU know what's on the files, Illyanna?" Kathryn looked at her schoolmate.

"Da." The Russian answered. "I have for about three years, now."

"Okay." Ksathryn looked around. "Anyone else know what on this thing?"

Sharon's arm slowly went up. "I haven't looked at the files, myself, But? Ms. Frost said it was obvious you were guarding something! And? When she tried to ask Xavier about it, she told me he started evading her thoughts!"

"I'm guessing this will cause trouble at school?" Emily asked.

"More like add to it, Ms, Fornell!" Rahne answered im a hostile tone. "But, they'll only be heaping the trouble on themselves! 'Tisjust the overflow that seemd t' land of us."

"Well? I may not be there to see it." Ksthryn said. "Been thinking of moving on, especially after Uncle Jack died. The mansion's been home for years. A sanctuary. But? The last year.. it hasn't felt like home. You know? Anyway, I've been thiking of moving. Looks like the Bureau's going to make my decision for me." Kathryn took a swig of Coke, and looked at her friends. "Just promise me one thing? If I have to serve time, look out for each other? Promise? I kind of have my doubts about the X-Men doing it. Or? Even being able to."

"You can count on us, Mama Hen!" Jubilee smiled.

"Thanks, guys." Kathryn spoke. "Now! Who's ready for some dessert?"

'Are you about to leave, Emily?" Kathryn asked.

"No." Emily smiled. "I have dad's permission to spend the night! He'll pick me up for school in the morning."

"So.. Yiur an FBI-plant, are ye?" Rahne smiled.

"Ficus fornell!" Emily chuckled. "Seriously. This has little to do with the FBI! Dad and mom have known about Kathryn for as long as they've known Uncle Jethro! And, they both want to know what kind of mess that Charles Xavier has let happen, whether or not the Bureau decides to take any action against Kate."

After the cake and ice cream were demolished, and she had said good-night to her father, Emily Fornell was about to walk back into the house.

"Thank you.. for helping me watch over Kathryn." A girl's voice seemed to breathe past Emily's ear. She turned to face the voice slowly.

"You're welcomed.. Kelly." Emily smiled. "I've heard about you! Glad we're finally meeting. Hope it's not the last time?"

"It won't be." The ghost smiled.. then faded from sight.

The next morning after breakfast, Gibbs herded the girls out of the house and to the Naval Yard. There, they were met by Officers Dinozzo, McGee, and Bishop. The three officers were staring towards the roof. Gibbs raised his eyes to the roof.

"That gargoyle looks awfully familiar!" Gibbs drawled, as he sipped at his coffee.

"Our new early-warning system?" Eleanor asked.

"This.. will not be good." McGee remarked.

Suddenly, the gargoyle popped out of sight, to re-appear at ground-level:

"Guten Morgen, Herr Sargeant!" Nightcrawler snapped a salute to Gibbs.

"Good morning, Herr Wagner!" Gibbs replied. "I take it this isn't a social call?"

"Unfortunately not, Herr Gibbs!" Kurt apologized. He then turned to Kate:

"Despite orders to the contrary? Some of the students have taken it into their heads to bring you back to school. For 'the good of all concerned.' Sorry, Kitty."

"That's.. alright, Kurt! Couldn't be helped." Kathryn moped. "Hardly anyone listens to me, these days. Thank you for warning me. When did they leave the msnsion?"

"The hunting-party was starting to gather when I left!" Kurt answered. "They should be here in 45 minutes to an hour! They come by car."

"Thank you, Kurt!" Kathryn smiled. "That should give me 15 minutes to do my work and get out of here! To tell you the truth, Kurt? I was expecting this! Just? Not so soon." Kathryn rummaged in her travel-bag for a stick-drive. "Jethro? May I borrow Tim and Abbie? I have to install something to the Yard's security-systems!"

"'Install'?" Tim raised an eyebrow.

"A program that emits a wave-pattern that disrupts mutant-abilities! Just in case any of my persuers decide to try to get an upper-hand! Don't want any casualies, here! Kurt? If you stay here for more than 15 minutes, you'll have to walk out of here! Sorry."

"Do not worry, Madchen!" Kurt chuckled. "I thought I'd get permission to stay at the Naval Yard, anyway! I am just glad that you came prepared for the party!"

"Semper Perpatis, Kurt!" Kathryn smiled. "Oh! And, Jethro? When Hettie Lange shows up? Tell her our talk will have to wait. That I'm having to dodge my classmates."

"Will do, Kat!" Jethro grinned. "Tim? You get Kathryn down to Abbie and install that extra security!"

"You got it, boss!" Tim grinned.

As Tim and Kathryn disappeared into the NCIS-MCRT Offices, Kurt turned the Gibbs:

"Herr Gibbs? With your - permission - I would, very much, like to stay around the Naval Yard, today! I have an odd feeling that today will get.. intersting!"

"You can stay, Kurt!" Gibbs smiled, "But Security will have to check you in! Tony, show Kurt to Security to get his credentials!"

"Sure thing, boss!" Dinozzo grinned. "This way, Mr. Wagner!"

As he exited the elevator and entered the bull-pen, Gibbs was greeted with a familiar call from upstairs:

"Gibbs? In my office. Now!"

"Sure thing, Leon." Gibbs replied to the Director.

Foregoing a quick-coffee-refill, Jethro made it quickly into Vance' office.

"Got a problem, Leon?" Gibbs asked the Director. "We have a case?"

"We don't have a case, yet, Jethro!" Vance replied. "But? We may have a problem."

"You talked to Nightcrawler, Director?" Gibbs asked.

"No." Vance replied. "I saw him on the roof, earlier. Thought I'd talk to him, later. After I got through with him." Vance pointed to the wall at Gibbs' back.

"To..?" Gibbs turned around.

"H'lo, Gunnery Sargeant!" A squat dragon grinned at Gibbs.

"Hello, Lockheed!" Gibbs replied. "Surprised you didn't come along with Kat!"

"Wanted to see if the usual blockheads would listen to Kate f'r a change!" The dragon replied. "They didn't."

"I feel a bit strange conversing with a dragon, Gibbs." Leon admitted.

"My cousins have explained to me that only rare people can communicate with dragons. But Lockheed, from what Kat tells me, is a special type of Dragon! Kate says he can speak and understand at least a dozen languages."

"It helps to be empathic, Sargeant," Lockheed said.

"I'm sure it does, Lockheed." Jethro chuckled. "Alright! Who's coming down to get Kat?"

"Bobby de Costa, a real hard-ass!" The dragon growled out. "Only thing harder is his head! He's talked two of his fellow-students into helping him 'talk' to Kate! Names are Dannie Moonstar and Xi'an Coyh Manh!"

"Kat's told me about all three of them. We would have trouble, Leon, if Kat wasn't installing the extra-security, a program that emits waves that stops mutant-powers from being deployed within its field-of-range. I'd be tempted to shoot, first, and then start asking questions. Moonstar can caste life-like illusions, and Xi'an Koyh possesses other people's minds."

"Real nice ladies." Vance grumbled. "What about de Costa?"

"Can transform solar-energy into kinatic-energy." Gibbs answered. "Gives him super-strength."

"Uses it to strong-arm people?" Vance asked.

"Among other things." Gibbs sighed.

"Great." Vance grumbled. "Anybody else with him, Lockheed?"

"The Cumberland Gang's shadowing the boy and the birds, trying to keep'em outta too much trouble!" Lockheed chuckled.

"The Cumberland Gang?" Gibbs asked.

"I think he means the Guthrie kids, Gibbs?" Vance said, "Sam and Josh Guthrie? And their sister, Paige?"

"Spot-on, Governor!" Lockheed huffed. "Hearts are in the right place, but they're in over their heads on this one! De Costa is sure he's the one wot knows da best. Too much of his bleeding father in 'im!"

"Don't remind me of the elder De Costa!" Vance groaned. "And, Gibbs? Don't mention De Coste to Hettie! We want to keep things as cool as possible, here, and bloodshed to a minimum!"

"You two know the kid, Leon?" Gibbs asked.

"The kid, no!" Vance put his head in his heads. "But, the father? Unfortunately. yes! Hettie and I were called to provide security for U.S. Representatives at a meeting in Caracas a few years back. One of the Reps from Brazil was an industrialist from Rio de Janeiro named Emmanual de Costa. He was just a representstive of Brazil, but he talked and strutted like he ruled the country, himself, and damned-near all of South America! Told us, basically, that we had to kiss his ass to get anything done!"

"Knew idiots like that in Stillwater!" Gibbs said. "Hated them, then, hate'em, now."

"Like father, like son, unfortunately!" Kathryn said from the doorway. "Just don't say that around Bobby, unless you want to have to kill him!"

"Daddy-issues, Miss Pryde?" Vance asked.

"Too many of them." Kathryn dead-panned. "Hey, Lockheed! Who's come after me?"

"'Berto, Moonstar, and Xi'an Koyh!" Lockheed replied.

"Ouch, ouch, and ouch!" Kathryn said. "Anyone else?"

"The Guthries are coming to try to calm things down." The dragon offered.

"As if that'll happen! I'll make sure Duckie and Abbie look them over after the fight!" Kathryn responded. "Anyone else?"

"The school's favorite wildcards," Lockheed said. "the Coocoos."

"Always fun." Ksathryn dead-panned again. "I'm sure they volunteered to come?"

"Of course!" The dragon huffed. "No one dares tell the wildcards what to do!"

"Cuocoos?" Vance asked.

"Celeste, Mandee, and Pheobe Coocoo! Gifts from the Mutant-'Sanctuary' of Genosha!" Kathryn sighed, "Clones grown from the stolen-tissue of the White-Queen, herself! So? Technically? They're Emma's daughters! At least, she DOES try to watch-over them like daughters! ANYWAY! the security is up and running, now! So? The girls and I are off to the park, to play hide-and-seek with the school. Jethro? Tell Heddie I'm sorry, but she'll have to wait for me? Come on, Lockheed, we'll need an extra lookout!"

"Will do, Kat!" Jethro smiled, then, spotting Nightcrawler on the lower-floor, he tossed his keys down to the German:

"Wagner! Take the girls to Anacostia Park! Then get back here!"

"Jowohl, Herr Gibbs! Kommen Sie, Madchen!"

"I hope no cases come our way, Jethro!" Vance sighed. "It feels like it's gonna be a long day."

"I hear you, Leon!" Gibbs aaid.

"Boss?" Tim appeared in the doorway, "We've got a visitor! Logan's downstairs."

"I'll be right down, Tim!" Gibbs reasured his Junior Field-Agent.

Within two minutes, another coffee in hand, Gibbs was back at his desk:

"Everything alright, Logan?" Gibbs asked the Wolverine. "Oh! And, try not to pop your claws around here, at least, not until Kat gets back."

"Will do," the Canadian answered, "Me an' Kurt'll get the trouble-makers back on the bus to Salem Center! Then, me an' Kurt'll make to Stillwater, to get an early jump on anyone else thinkin' of comin' this way! An', Kate warned me about the inhibitor-field she set up around the Yard!" Logan chuckled. "Your cousin thinks of everything! Ever stray X-Men."

"Sounds like you expect more tries, !" Bishop noted.

"I know the rest of the X-Men, !" Wolverine answered. "Just because one squad fails at this fool's errand, doesn't mean others won't try to complete it! Especially, once Charlie figured out what she brought with her to D.C.!"

"Anyone but Kat know what's on that drive? Exactly?" Gibbs asked.

"Not exactly!" Wolverine answered. "Nobody but Charlie an' Kate!"

"Making Kat go through that data, again," Gibbs groused, "was a stupid-move on Xavier's part!"

"Not the most-dumb-ass move Chuckie's pulled," Wolverine growled, "but? It helps him build that mountain! I guess the FBI considers that sensitive-intel, still, and needs to go after whoever took it!"

"More like the Bureau HATES having to re-hash a black-eye, Mr. Logan!" A small woman answered as she appeared in the bullpan, backed-up by a team of agents. "Hello, Logan! Here to take Ms. Pryde back to school before I interview her?"

"No, !" Logan grinned. "Wouldn't think of it! One? I'd have to fight you! Two? I'd have to fight Kate!"

"You two know each other?" Gibbs pointed to Logan and the women.

"Our paths have crossed!" Hettie Lange smiled. "Back when Logan was still working for Ottawa! When I heard that he'd moved down south? I decided to keep an eye on him. Logan? Jethro? I'd like you to meet my family! This is Gregor Callen, Sam Hannah, Marty Deeks, Kenzie Blye, Nate Getz, Eric Beale, and - last, but not least - Nel Jones."

"So!" Agent DiNozzo grinned. "You brought the A-Team with you! Who's gaurding L.A., then?"

"Oh, the B-Team is good enough..", Agent Hannah began.

"Just.. not as good as us!" Agent Callen finished the sentence with a smile.

"Why bring along Getz?" Gibbs said, protectively. "Didn't know this was considered a Phych-Op!"

"Protocal, Agent Gibbs, that's all." Nate responded.

"Law-Enforcement and Intelligence has had the X-Men on their radar for many years, Agent Gibbs!" Hettie replied. "And? Kathryn Pryde seemed - from the reports - to be one of the most capable and level-headed of the X-Men! I just want to know if the intel we have on her is true! And? If it is? What would make a level-headed young woman rabbit with the knowledge she has of her team-mates?"

"I am sure Kst will be glad to answer all of your and Dr. Getz' questions -", Gibbs replied, "whenever she returns.!"

"'Whenever she returns'?", Getz repeated. "Where did she go, Sargeant Gibbs? And, more importantly, why did she leave?"

"Did she get cold-feet about the interview, Agent Gibbs?" Agent Hannah asked.

"No." Gibbs replied. "She came down here, and told the FBI what she'd done, realizing she'd have to face the consequences! She was willing to face Ms. Lange!"

"Then, why is she running?" Agent Callen asked.

"I think I can answer that!" Agent Deeks answered. "Tell me I'm wrong, Agent Gibbs? But, it sounds like the rest of Xavier's School fot Gifted Youngsters doesn't want Kathryn to talk to Hettie! Am I Right?"

"Good guess, Deeks." Gibbs nodded.

"Yep," Marty sighed, "sounds like L.A.P.D. Gang Task Force, revisited! Whenever an informant stepped foreward, the rest of the gang seemed to put them on a hit-list."

"Well? Kat got the jump on them, there!" Gibbs chuckled. "She made up her own hit-list! Unfortunately, none of the X-Men that are after her are not on that list! They might be on her next one, though?"

"Tell me, Sargeant Gibbs!" Hattie then pulled a packet of picture out from her coat. "Who's with Kathryn? My agents have been studying Kathryn's photograph since 7:00 AM Pacific Time."

"Okay." Gibbs went through the photos. "Kat has four friends watching her like hawks, besides an extraterrestrial-dragon she's dubbed 'Lockheed'."

"Excuse me, Agent Gibbs!" Kenzie interrupted. "A dragon?"

Tony and Tim snickered, while Eleanore's jaw dropped measureably.

"Yes, Agent Blye, a dragon!" Gibbs answered. "It's a long story I don't have the time to get into. My cousin might tell youu, however! ANYWAY! Here's Kat, and here's her bodygaurds: Illyanna Rasputin, Rahne Sinclaire, Jubilation Lee, and Sharon Smythe. I gave The Nightcrawler the keys to my vehicle, to drop the girls off in Anacostia Park."

"Good!" Hettie declared. "Mr. Beale? Ms. Jones? Go down to the Forenics Lab, and introduce yourselves to Ms. Sciutto, and set-up for Ms. Pryde's tests! ? Be prepared to interview at the first possible moment! Mister Callen? Mister Hannah? Mister Deeks? Miss Blye? Go to Anacostia, and get those girls back to the Yard! Safe and sound! And, the dragon! If you can locate it."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Gibbs chuckled. "Lockheed'll be close-by! He's very protective of Kat!"

"I'm surprised the X-Men weren't broiled by the time we got to the school!" Tony smiled.

"Probably, Kate told him not to broil anyone." Tim commented.

"This.. Lockheed.. breathes FIRE?" Eleanore caught her breath. "Actual FIRE?"

"Yes." Tony and Tim both answered.

"Mister Getz?" Hettie said. "On second thought, go with the main group to Anacostia! Your observations may help you formulate your questions for Ms. Pryde."

"What about any other students we run into?" Sam Hannah asked.

"They are hunting Miss Pryde, Mister Hannah!" Hettie said. "I don't give a damn what happens to them!"


	5. Cousin Jethro Ch 5

Cousin Jethro

(An NCIS - X-Men Crossover)

None of the Characters used in the work are not mine. The cast of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles belong to Donald Balisario. The characters from the various X-Men titles belong to Marvels Comics and their - over the years - various editors, artists, and writers! I am just borrowing them to play with.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is what happens when you read too many fan-fictions! Other writers start giving you ideas! I'd like to thank DimensionalLover for helping to put this idea into my head! This will be the first of (what I hope) is a four-story crossover-series, featued around NCIS!

I've included the lyrics of three songs - favorites of mine - in this chapter:

"Roll On, Muddy River" - by the Wilburn Brothers;

"The Ballad of the Blue and Grey" - by Lefty Frizzell;

"The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down" - by Joan Baez.

Cousin Jethro

teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-

Shadowcat makes her way to the Elevator to ths Shooting-Gallery, leaving behind a blackboard listing "Roberto DeCosta"

and "Xi'an Coyh Manh".

teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-teaser-scene-

Five NCIS Agents formed s loose skirmish-line as they enter Anacostia Park.

"Anyone have any idea of what we're going to do when we find the kids?" Deeks asked.

"Simple!" Kenzie answered her partner. "Watch for what's going down, then grab Ms. Pryde and her friends!"

"And? What about 'used-to-be-friends', Kenz?" Deeks asked.

"Just try to keep them apart, Deeks!" Sam answered.

"Might have a better chance at tearin'em apart, Coppers!" A voice called down from the middle-branches of a tree. "Of course, Kate's posse might just beat you to it! Idiots haven't listened, before! Probably, won't listen, now! Not even to Coppers. 'Specially, DeCosta. Heh Heh! Up t' me, 'e'd be a London Broil, by now!"

Five pairs of eyes looked up as one:

"Is that a...?" Kenzie started to ask.

"And, it probably isn't 'Puff'!" Deeks answered his partner's unfinished-question.

"Nah!" The dragoned replied with a chuckle.

"'Lockheed', I presume?" Getz asked.

"Yup, 'Mister Stanley'!" The dragon in the tree replied.

"Know where we can find your partner?" Sam Hannah asked.

"A klick up the creek!" The dragon replied. "I'd be careful about how I'd make my next step! Sunspot an' 'is posse are in a loose circle arond Kate, and Kate's posse is shadowing them! Anymore join the party, friend or not? It'll be a blow-out! Just lettin' you know because I recognise the CIS-Badge on the lady's hip. Don't look like locals. Part of Hettie Lang's crew? Saw one of the Navy-Yard guards sneak up here about a half-hour ago, by the sun! Been feeling a bit tense ever since!"

"Yeah! We're the 'Out-of-towners'." Callen said. "You know about Hettie?"

"Only what I overheard from Vance." The dragon responded. "Plus? Gibbs seems alright with her! 'E's protective of 'is cousin!"

A couple of minutes later, the team was in sight of Kathryn. The girl seemed to be paying no attention to them, nor to anyone else around the area. In fact, all she seemed to do was look out over Anacostia River before it empties into the Potomac. Then, still looking over the waters to something, Shadowcat started to softly strum a guitar:

-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-

"Roll muddy river, roll on, muddy river, roll on.

I've got a notion you'll go to the ocean alone.

'Cause I got a boy in Tennessee who's long been a'waitin' for little ol' me,

so roll, muddy river, roll on, muddy river, roll on."

-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-

"Who is saying 'Goodbye' to?" Sam asked, paternal-feelings appering. "And, how will they take that?"

-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-

"New Orleans, down to ol' St. Lou!

Stopped in Memphis, Minneapolis, too!

Back in Nashville I'll be true,

so roll, muddy river, roll on, muddy river, roll on."

-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-

"Well? Miss Pryde doesn't know we're here, but, she knows her school's looking for her!" Callen answered his partner. "Now, how her fellow-students will take this Bill of Divorce? I have no idea! But? We know there are hostiles in the immediate area."

-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-

"Roll muddy river, roll on, muddy river, roll on.

I've got a notion you'll go to the ocean alone.

'Cause I got a boy in Tennessee who's long been a'waitin' for little ol' me,

so roll, muddy river, roll on, muddy river, roll on."

-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-Wilburnbrothers-

"Uh oh, folks!" Deeks said just loud enough for his team to hear. "We got trouble at two o'clock! A dark-complected male. Looks like the photos we saw of Roberto DeCosta!"

"That hot-head's here?" Callen asked. "This will not end good!"

"Hettie's not gonna like this." Getz whispered.

"There's an understatement." Sam said. "Especially if he's anything like his father!"

Just then, Kat started anyother song, picking the guitar, this time, instead of strumming it:

-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-

"Now, Jimmy chose the Yankee-blue, his heart was on their side

But brother Billy joined the Rebs, and how their mother cried.

They both shook hands and kissed their mom, there wasn't much to say.

One headed north, the other south, the Blue against the Grey.

It was brother fightin' brother, father fighting son,

a war which both sides had to lose, no matter which side one.

-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-

Wolfsbane, in her transitional "werewolf"-form, growled low and threateningly to the man behind her: "Ye take one more step towards Kathryn, DeCosta? An' I chew yiur heart out an' pike it an' leave the rest o' ye tae the crows!"

"But, Rahne!" Bobby hissed.

"Dinna 'But, Rahne' me, Sunspot!" Rayne countered. "Ye were watchin' the fight in the Mansion wi' the rest of us! An', ye heard The Shadowcat as well as any of us! Ye heard Kathryn say not to follow her! Not that ye ever listen, ye arrogant oaf!"

"But, she has divorced us, Rayne! You heard her song!" Sunspot protested. "Not only is she leaving us, she has declared war on us, with everything she know about the school! About us!"

"Unplug yuir ears, man!" Rayne snapped. "Listen tae the song! If any of us declare a war on the other, it'll be a war that nae one'll win!"

-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-

Bill was in the Sharps at Gettysburg, he'd never known defeat,

While Jim was there on the hill, each prayed they'd never meet.

With Jim a dozen yards ahead, the Yanks came down the hill

and when the smoke had cleared away, Jin found his brother Bill.

-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-

"Sam? Paige?" Joshua Guthrie asked his brother and sister, eyes tearing up, "What have we let happen here? At the school?"

"We let too much happen, Josh!" Sam sighed. "By not speakin' up. We saw this growing, and kept quiet, an' it grew."

"Well, it ends, after this!" Paige swore. "If it takes another hit-list? So be it!"

-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-

Jim knealt beside young Billy, but he had no words to say,

for Biil saw him, and held his fire, while Jim had blazed away.

It was brother fightin' brother, father fighting son,

a war which both sides had to lose, no matter which side one.

-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-Leftyfrizzell-

"Well, Nate?" Kensie asked. "If the first song was a Bill of Divorce, what would you call that one?"

"Cause for divorce," Getz responde. "'Irreconcilable differences'."

"Well? I can't tell the future, usually." Deeks said, as he spied through the field-glases, "But? I predict this divorce'll be messy!"

"Who was the confrontation between, Deeks?" Callen asked.

"DeCosta and Sinclsire, it looked like." Deeks answered.

"I saw movement around the trees at DeCosta's six o'clock." Kensie said.

"Yeah.." Deeks said, training the field-glasses on the area Kensie noted. "Those are the Guthries. And? Smythe is right above them! In the branches. oops! Looks like Smythe may have spooted something at her two-0'clock, at ground-level! She's signaling someone at her seven-o'clock, at looks like, to investigate what she saw! And pulling out her cell? This may not be good."

"I go check on it!" Callen sighed. "You keep monitorng things, here! If things go south, I don't wanna run the risk of going after DeCosta! I might kill him!"

"Sure thing, G!" Sam assured his partner.

Meanwile, Kathryn started picking the guitar and crying a song:

joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-

Virgil Caine is the name, and I served on the Danville train,

Til so much cavalry came and tore up the tracks again.

In the winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive.

By May the tenth, Richmond had fell, it was a time I remember, oh so well,

The night they drove old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing,

The night they drove old Dixie down, and the people were singin'. they went

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,

joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-

"What the...?" Daniele Moonstar perked up her head, getting the attention of Xi'an Koyh Manh. "Why is Shadowcat singing that way? It almost sounds..?"

"She is warning us, Dani!" The mutant called Karma answered her friend. "Kathryn knows how to speak through song! She is telling us, if we follow after her, we will die. We should not have come. But? Some of us do not listen!"

At that point, all Karma and Mirage wanted to do was hold Kathryn, and Let her know they had her! That, everything would be alright. That they'd make everything alright!

But, Could they?

joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-

That was my my wife in Tennessee, and one day she said to me,

"Virgil, quick, come see, there goes Robert E. Lee!"

Now I don't mind 'em choppin' wood, and I don't care if the money's no good.

Just take what ya need and leave the rest,

But they should never have taken the very best.

The night they drove old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing,

The night they drove old Dixie down, and the people were singin'. they went

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,

joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-

"Dammit, Sam! We gotta stop this!" Josh Guthrie said to his brother. "You're hearin' Kate! These songs are only meaning one thing!"

"Ya mean.. she's thinkin' o' killin' herself, Josh?" Samuel Guthrie asked.

"Killing herself, Sam, no." Paige said. "But? She might let the Federal Government do it for her - or? bury her so deep some place we can't rescue her from - if a certain hothead doesn't beat'em to the punch! Rahne is staring him down, right now But? Don't know how long that'll work!"

"If Rahne don't kill'im?" Sam Guthrie sighed, "I may just have to! Get ready to move."

joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-

Like my father before me, I'm a workin' man

Like my brother above me, who took a rebel stand.

He was just eighteen, proud and brave, but a Yankee laid him in his grave,

I swear by the blood below my feet,

You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat.

The night they drove old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing,

The night they drove old Dixie down, and all the people were singin', they went

Na, la, na, la, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na,

joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-joan-baez-

"Never heard one", Deeks said nervously, "but, that sounds to much like a death-song to me. a swansong. Come on, Kenzie! Let's get our singer!"

"Right behind you, Deeks!" Kenzie said.

"Getz? You go talk to the Guthries!" Sam said. "I'll try to seperate Sinclaire and De Costa!"

The scattered groups started zeroing in on Kathryn, with verying results:

"Ye move one step toward Kate, 'Berto?" Wolfsbane growled out. "Even a twitch? I'll chew ya apart an' scatter ye to the crows!"

"Oh, I wouldn't do that, Ms. Sinclaire!" Agent Hannah quipped. "You see? If my boss doesn't have Miss Pryde to question? She's gonna want someone to hold responsible for her disappearance. And? If that someone is a 'Roberto DeCosta'? She's gonna want that someone crucified!"

"And, just why is your boss wanting to crucify Bobby?!" Danielle Moonstar demanded as she charged toward Sam, Wolfsbane, and Sunspot.

"Because DeCosta is interfering in a federal case, and has been ever since he rounded up a posse and charged out of New York State, Miss Moonstar!" Sam answered. "Also? From what Hettie's heard, Bobby DeCosta sounds alot like his father! And? Hettie's had a bad run-in with the senior DeCosta."

"So? You ARE here to try to keep the peace?" Nate asked Samuel Guthrie.

"Yes, sir!" Cannonball answered. "I think I was one of the few to even remember Shadowcat telling us not to follow her, here! But? Bobby seemed dead-set on gettin' Kate back to the school! I tried to talk him out of it, we all tried! All three of us! But? When he talked Dannie into the mission, that's when we figured we better tag along. To keep this from becomin' a salvage-mission."

"DeCosta known for doing things like this?" Mate asked.

"More times than we can count, Dr. Getz!" Husk said. "Our brother's known him longer than Josh an' I have, but? From what Sam has told us, and from what we've seen, Bobby's got a chip on his shoulder the size of a mountain. Not sure where it comes from? But? I have my suspicions."

"Are you Okay, Ms. Pryde?" Marty Deeks asked Shadowcat.

"No. Don't think so." Kathryn sighed. "Staopped being 'okay' a few weeks back. Part of Miss Lange's crew?"

"Yes we are!" Kenzie answered. "I'm Kenzie Blye! My partner's Marty Deeks. How do you know about Hettie, Miss Pryde?"

"FBI gave Jethro and I a 'head's-up' on who was coming for me. I asked Jethro to apologize for my tardiness. Couldn't be helped."

"I understand, Ms. Pryde!" Deeks answered. "Too well. We ran into Lockheed before we found you. What he said about what was going down reminded me of street-gangs in L.A. And? From the little we saw go down? Especially between DeCosta and Sinclaire? We couldn't hear it, but, I'd say the dragon hit it right on the head!"

"Bobby's here? Dammit!" Kathryn whispered. "I knew news of my being in Washington was going to be bad enough. This town seems to be gripped in Mutant-hysteria any time one of us shows up. At least, I can keep my girls under control. But now? Bobby and company being here is gonna send every nutcase in at least five States after us!"

"Well?" Kenzie tried to lighten the mood. "All our team has to do is bring you and your friends back to the Naval Yard!"

"What about the others?" Kathryn quipped.

"Oh.. they'll be coming along!" Deeks chuckled. "Now, what shape they'll be in? That depends on if they come-in willingly or not."

Just then, Callen crackled over the NCIS-phones:

"Sam! Deeks! Nate! Kenzie! We have a problem! We have a dead Naval Gaurd about thirty yards east and 10 yards north of Shadowcat's position! He's got five arrowshafts in his back and a letter 'T' carved in his right shoulderblade. I've already called the Navy Yard, their MCRT is on it's way. And the mutant, Catseye, is trailing our suspect! REPEAT! Catseye is trailing our suspect!"

Kathryn overheard the transmission.

"Someone from the Naval Yard was following us?" Shadowcat turned sharply to face Roberto, her face livid:

"Daammit, DeCosta! I'm going to KILL YOU! I TOLD you IDIOTS not to FOLLOW me!"

"Now, Shadowcat...!" Sunspot began to rebuke Kathryn... when he caught a roundhouse to the left temple, and went down like a sack of cement!

"Don't even BREATHE in my direction, DeCosta, until we're at CIS-HEADQUARTERS!" Kathryn then made eye-contact with Moonstar and Xi'an Koyh.

"If you BLOCKHEADS hadn't charged out of Xavier's like bats out of hell, we wouldn't have needed to come here to Anacostia! And, a sailor wouldn't be dead because he though we need PROTECTION! You two.. until told otherwise.. STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

Soon, the two CIS-Teams and two groups of mutants - minus Catseye - were investigating the crime-scene:

"Well, Jethro?" Ducky commented. "I count .. five arrow wounds. And? It appears three of them punctured through the lungs and chest! I shall, hopefully, know more after autopsy. Unfortunately, nothing here helps develope a list of suspects! The killer, or killers, seem to have broken off the shafts where they entered the body! No doubt, taking their fingerprints with them. And, yes, Katherine, that is a 'T' carved into the Lieutenant's shoulderblade. Yes. Lieutant Albert Thomas Redmon, of Ann Arundel. Guard stationed at the Naval Yard for thr past three years."

"Alright, Ducky!" Gibbs said, "You and Palmer get Lieutenant Redmon back to autopsy. Kathryn? Who all do we have here in the park?"

"Besides me, Rayne, Illyanna, Jubilee, and Sharon, you mean? We have Dani Moonstar, Xi'an Koyh, DeCosta, the Guthries, and the Trouble triplets. I was told Warpath's here, too! He's probably following Sharon."

"Cone now, Ms. Pryde!" One of the Frost-clones grinned mischiviously. "Things could be worst." She giggled. "We COULD be the Wyngarde girls." She licked her lips.

"Celeste Cuckoo?" Shadowcat shot a glare to the clone. "You don't want to put me in a worse mood than I'm in, already."

"We're just saying.." Another clone softly spoke.

"I know, Mindee, I know. This whole day is getting on my nerves. And, it's not even lunch-time. Why did you come, anyway?"

"Mom sent us to watch out for you." The three girls said in perfect unison, causing Tony and Tim to jump.

"Besides.." The last clone spoke. "It's always.. enjoyable.. to witness Bobby getting his ass beat."

"I guess knows about what happened here, them?" Tony asked.

"Mom knows." The Trio said in unison.

And Dinozzo and McGee jumped, again.

"Mom?" Tim meeped out the quesrion.

It's like standing next to 'The Stepford Wives'." Tony shivered.

"Oh! Tony? Tim? I'd like you to meeet the Cuckoo sisters! That's Celeste, Irma, and Pheobe! There's clones of Emma Frost. And? Irma prefers to be known as ' Mindee'!"

"Hello", Celeste sang out.

"Hello", Mindee echoed.

"Hello", Pheobe finished the harmony.

"Um.. hello." Tim and Tony answered.

Eleanore Bishop just looked askence at Kathryn.

"Yes," Shadowcat sighed and, then, tried not to laugh, "that really just happened."

Meanwhile, Gibbs was watching Moonstar and Xi'an Koyh half-walk, half-drag a barely-conscience Roberto DeCosta to the crime-scene.

Gibbs then turned back to Shadowcat:

"What happened to him?"

"Roundhouse to the right-temple." Kathryn answered her cousin. "Reward for 'rescuing' me against my wishes."

"Ouch." Jethro grinned slily. "The Gibbs' special." He then turned to Xi'an Koyh Manh:

"He still breathing?"

"Bobby was hit hard," Karma said, "and, he will hurt, but? He will live."

"Well?" Gibbs commented. "He deserved what he got. I was there when my cousin told you not to follow us. Looks like someone didn't isten."

"Quite a few someones, if you ask me." Tim groused.

"I hear you, Tim." Jethro sighed. "Okay, Kat! Let's gather up Warpath and Catseye and head back to the Yard."

Suddenly, The call of a quail rang through the Park.

"Dammit!" Kathryn jumped. "That's Jimmy - Warpath - telling us there's trouble! Something's happened to him or Sharon! Celeste! Are Fin and Sharon alright?"

"James is on-alert, but fine!" Celeste Cuckoo said. "Sharon's disoriented!"

"Dammit to hell!" Kate swore. "Rahne! Pick up Sharon's trail!" She them looked back at Sunstop, Mirage, and Karma:

"We'll be trailing with the fuck-ups!"

Soom Jethrom. Tim, Tony, Kathryn, Illyanna, Jubilee, and the Cuckoos were making their wat to Rahne, James. and Sharon.

'Why are all THREE of them with us?' Tim asked the Cuckoos.

"We're strongest when we're together." Pheobe answered the agent's unspoken-question, again rattling him.

"But.. we're not.. going that far!" Tony panted out.

'Says the man huffing and puffing.' Mindee responded.

"That's not the whole story!" Gibbs responded in an even breath. "Is it, Kat?"

"More the 'Readers' Digest'-version, Jethro!' Shadowcat said, slowing down. "But? That can wait!"

She then called out. "RAHNE? JIM? Where's Sharon?"

"By the grill, Kathryn!" James Proudstar called back. "She went to check something burning in the grill, and collapsed a short time later!"

"She's thrashing around some, Kate!" Rahne said, watch her friend and fellow shape-shifter. "Like she's having a bad-dream!"

"She's hallucinating." Celeste Cuckoo said. "She's being poisoned. Irma? Pheobe? We have to get her out of there! Now!"

"Poisoned?" Gibbs asked

"Oleander!" Warpath ansd Wolfsbane unisoned.

In the blink of an eye, the Cuckoos were in a psionic bubble protectively surrounding Sharon! Then, a smaller bubble appeared to arise from the smoldering firetip, cradling not-quite-burned sticks along with some ashes from the pit.

"We need to get Sharon to the Naval Yard .." Pheobe Cuckoo said.

"As fast as possible!" The three girls harmonized.

"Get to Duck!" Gibbs said, pulling out his phone. "I'll tell Abbs to turn off the Inhibitor-Field,tempoparily!"

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs!" Celeste Cuckoo assured him. "We shall get Sharon to Dr. Mallard, then give the evidence to Ms. Schiutto."

Thhe girls snapped out a fast salute.

"Go!" Gibbs replied. Then they turned and headed back to the others:

"Agent Hannah? Agent Callen?" Gibbs said once back at the primary-scene. "Can your team get DeCosta, Moonstar, and Xi'an Koyh back to the Naval Yard? If I took them, with Kat, someone might wind up dead! When you get to the office, put'em in Interrogation! Either Kat or I will be down to see them."

"Why are we wearing Inhibitor-Collars?" Dani asked Callen defiantly.

"Our boss suggested them!" Callen replied. "We had to read up on you while we were on the plane to Washington! Hettie suggested the collars your own sAFETY after we learned who was coming from New York to 'rescue' Kathryn! Hettie figured you and Xi'an Coyh might try to use your powers to help pull off the rescue."

"Yeah." Sam continued. "a rescue that Miss Pryde did not need nor ask for! But? With DeCosta leading the rescue party, it was going to happen, wasn't it?"

"Don't worry!" Callen quipped. "The collars will come off after we get back to NCIS!"

"Whyso?" Xi'an Koyh Manh asked. "Does the government have an inhibitor-field around the Naval-Yard?"

"It does, now, Karma!" Kathryn smirked. "Thanks to me. And? Thanks to you."

"'Thanks to..'?" Dani asked, slightly confused.

"Hey!" Kathryn answered. "I know my team."

Shortly, the CIS-teams, and their passengers, were back at the Naval-Yard:

"Hello, Jethro! Hello Kathryn, Lockheed." Vance called down, Henrietta Lange by his side. "Hello, Bishop! Hello, Illyanna. Hello, Rahne, Jubilee."

"How is Sharon, Director Vance?" Kathryn asked, worriedly.

"She's downstairs with Dr. Mallard and Ms. Schiutto, Ms. Pryde, checking out her lungs and administering the antidote for oleandase.

The Cuckoos are with them! Oh! Ms. Pryde? I'd like to introduce Ms. Hernietta Lange? She's here to talk to you!"

"Yes, sir, Director Vance!" Kathryn aanswered. "Hello, Ms. Lange!"

"Pardon me, Director Vance?" Callem called up as he entered the bullpen. "I've goy three that Gibbs wants putt in your Interrogation Room!"

"Seperstely or together, Gibbs?" Vance looked at his Senior Field-Agent.

"It doesn't matter. Put'em together!" Gibbs replied.

"Pardom me, Mr. Callen? Mr. Hannah?" Hettie Spoke up. "Pray tell me? Is that Mr. DeCosta? And, if it is, who the HELL ran him over?"

"It is DeCosta, Hettie!" Callen admitted as Roberto looked around the room, dazed. "And? Miss Pryde gave him the boxing-lesson!"

"Oh?" Hettie looked at Kathryn.

"Sorry, !" Kathryn apologized. "But? He WAS endangering my girls and I!" She then shot a death-glare towards Sunspot, Karma, and Mirage as they were being escorted to Interrogation. "Will you give me a couple of minutes, Ms. Lange? I din't want to avoid you, but there's something I have to say to 'Prince Robert of Costa' and his two Lieutenants!"

"Oh, I quite understand! I'm willing to wait, Ms. Pryde!" Hettie answered.

With that, Kathryn turmed on her heels and strode defiently to Interrogation.

Jethro grimly smiled as he watched his cousin disappear down the hall:

"I hope Callen and Hannah know enough to stay out of Kat's way." Hr chuckled softly. Then, he snapped out to his team:

"WE need a blackboard! We're going to draw up the names of known X-Men we are probably going to have run-ins with! I want us Prepared! Also? We've got a dead sailor in autopsy! We need to find out who killed him!"

Meanwhile, Kathryn was starting top take charge in Interoggation:

"Mr. Hannah? Mr. Callen? Would you step into the hallway, please? I'd like to speak with these three."

Callen was about to speak up, when Sam noticed a hardness in her brown eyes, a steadiness that seemed to match the quietness in her voice.

"We'll be outside if you need us, ." Sam said.

"Thank you, ." Kathryn whispered, still staring at her three schoolmates. She didn't start talking until she heard the door click shut.

"Alright.. 'Prince Robert'..", Kathryn slowly breathed out. "I'll question your Lieutenants, shortly. I'd love to know why they agreed to follow you. Because, I know, at least, Mirage was in the main-room when I told everyone to not follow me, and, I think, Danielle was, too! I know that you were in the room! But? I also know you haven't listened to good advice ever since you came to Xavier's."

"You ran out on us...!" Robby stood up and accused Kathryn.

"IT WAS EITHER RUN-OUT OR KILL SOMEBODY!" Kathryn shouted in defence. "Or? Take the chance of NCIS killing someone!"

"But? why, Shadow...?" Bobby said.

"DON'T EVER call me THAT, anymore!" Kathryn all but screamed, then she whispered. "I'm not sure I'm an X-Man, anymore."

"You are a traitor, then, Catarina!" Roberto swore. "You are willing to give us all up! Just like that! It is just as Scott and Jean have.. GURKH!"

Having leapt across the table at the accusations, Kate had her finger and thumb tight against DeCosta's throat and jaw and rammed his head against the wall!

"I can't BELEIVE you idiots! Be grateful the inhibitor-field is still up, DeCosta, or I'd phase you half-in this wall and let you die there!"

Kathryn then forced Roberto into his chair, shoving him into a sitting-position then shoving his face into the table:

"I KNOW you three have heard me quote Jethro's rules! I do it for a REASON! They are good guides to live the life we're forced to! And, here, like AMATUERS, you've managed to break at least TWO of them!

"Rule Number 3! NEVER believe what you're told. ALWAYS double check! You three have surely SEEN what the past year has been like! If I'm not fighting with Peter and Ororo? I'm fighting with Scott-the-Clueless and Jean! And, I try as HARD as I can to AVOID Professor Xavier!"

"Fighting? Avoiding?" Danielle Moonstar pushed herself backwards reflexively. "But.. I thought.. we could work...?"

"'We could work things out'?" Kathryn whirled around to face Dani. "There goes Rule Number 8, Mirage. NEVER take anything for GRANTED!"

Xi'an Koyh Manh just remainerd silent.

"Nothing to add, Karma? Well.. there's nothing much to add."

"But.. they are our teachers," Karma said almost robotically, "they would never hurt us."

"Yeah." Kathryn said through threatening tears. "That's what I thought.. 'bout me and 'Roro. Hey! She was my second-mom! Right? Rule Number 35. Always watch the watchers."

"I don't like where this is going." Getz said from the other side of the glass partition.

"We never knew about this!" Sam gasped. "But, why?"

"'Cause Monroe didn't want us t' know about it, Sam!" Paige told her older-brother.

"Don't blame yourself, Sam!" Getz said. "Sexual-predators are masters of hiding their true-selves from others."

"Even Telepaths?" Joshua asked as he glared through the window. "Even Xavier?" He sipped his coffee.

"Charles Xavier?" Getz thought a bit. "Him? You CAN blame."

"Does Ms. Lange really have to know about this, Mr. Getz?" Paige asked.

"I'm afraid so, Ms. Guthrie." Getz sighed. "If for no other reason than she is as protective as Gibbs! She'd want to protect Kathryn from Ororo as much as she can! And,? I'd actually wager the same will go for Illyanna, Rahne, Sharon, and Jubilee!"

Suddenly, Kathryn lashed out at Karma!

"What the...?" Samuel jumped.

And Kathryn opened the door and ran down the hall!

"Hettie's going to need to know about this!" Getz whispered to himself.

"Let's follow Kathryn, kids!"

As soon as Kathryn re-entered the Bull-Pen, she turned to Gibbs:

"Jethro? I need A gun! Gotta calm down at the firing-range!"

"Somebody say the wrong thing, Kat?" Gibbs asked.

"Two somebodies, Jethro!" Kate corrected her cousin.

"Ouch." Gibbs muttered. "Well? Here's my spare! You know where the range is here!"

"Hate to make you wait, longer, Ms. Lange!" Kate looked up at Hettie. "But..?"

"I quite understand, Ms. Pryde!" Henrietta replied. "GO!"

Kate stopped at the blackboard, adding "Bobby DeCosta" and "Xi'an Koyh Manh" to the names of X-Men on the Watvh-List, and ran down to the elevator and the shooting-range.


	6. Chapter 6

Cousin Jethro

(An NCIS - X-Men Crossover)

None of the Characters used in the work are mine. The cast of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles belong to Donald Balisario. The characters from the various X-Men titles belong to Marvels Comics and their - over the years - various editors, artists, and writers! I am just borrowing them to play with.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is what happens when you read too many fan-fictions! Other writers start giving you ideas! I'd like to thank DimensionalLover for helping to put this idea into my head! This will be the first of (what I hope) is a four-story crossover-series, featured around NCIS!

Cousin Jethro

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Sharom Smythe, Rahne Sinclaire, Kathryn Pryde, Jubilation Lee. and Illyanna Rasputina line-up at the NCIS Firing-Range for target-pracice, shadowed by Hettie Lange, Marty Deeks, Kenzie Blye, and Owen Granger.

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KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW!

The encho of shots range through the range:

KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW!

Click!

Kathryn exprtly ejected the ammo-clip from the pistol-grip, removed the earphones from her head, and proceded to examine and clean the weapon thoroughly. Then, she reloaded the weapon and replaced the ear-protection.

KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW!

KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW!

KaPOW! KaPOW!

Click!

Kathryn reeled the target end and examined it, removed the ear-phones, then proceded to clean the pistol, again.

"Nice shooting, Ms Pryde!" Hattie announced as she examined the target. "Every one would have been a kill-shot! Logan's been teaching you?"

"Just refreshers," Kathryn responded, "making sure my reflexes haven't slowed! Jethro's the one who taught me how to shoot! 'A gun is never a toy, and never a tool of intimidation! Never pull it, unless you plan to use it! And, never use it, unless you know how to."

"Truer words, I've never heard!" Hettie agreed. "Any guns at the school?"

"A few," Kathryn answered as she finished cleaning the pistol, "basically 'weapons-of-last-resort.' I've made sure Rahne, Sharon, Illyanna, and Jubilee know how to use them!"

"Hm..", Hattie thought aloud. "I'd love to see them on the firing-range. You are their 'big-sister', I take it?"

"More like a mom to them, Ms. Lange!" Kathryn answered.

"Are they packing?" Hattie asked.

"I told them to leave their guns at Jethro's," Kathryn grinned sheepishly. "This town gets nervous enough when mutants arrive. We don't need them panicking knowing that we're carrying!"

Hettie chukled. "Scaring the locals? That sounds like what I do when I'm here! The beehive starts to buzz even before I've left the Airport!"

Kathryn looked down at the smaller-woman:

"What YOU do, Ms. Lange?"

"What they THINK I can do, Ms. Pride!" Hettie smiled.

"Do they KNOW what you can do, Ms. Lange?" Kathryn enquired.

"Not even by half!" Hattie answered conspiritorially.

Kathryn took in the little woman thoughtfully:

"You are not, by chance, half-goblin, are you, Ms. Lange?"

"One? That is top-security, need-to-know information, Ms. Pryde!" Hattie replied. "And, two? How would you know about goblins?"

"THAT is top-security info, Ms. Lange!" Kathryn bowed to the woman. "Not even the X-Men know about it! Yet."

"Oh?" Hattie asked, intrigued.

"And? I'd like to keep it that way! As Bobby coming to D.C. should show, many of the X-Men are probably suspicious of me, although most are neutral. Too much knowledge about my family, and the rest of the X-Men may become as hostile to me and the girls as Washington is!"

"Understood." Hattie replied.

Soon, two targets were set-up, and Kathryn and Hattie were in a friendly-competition.

"I'm half-goblin!" Haattie said as she later cleamedd her pistol. "The other half is Romany."

"Thank you for sharing!" Kathryn smiled. "I understand how dangerous sharing can be! One of Jethro's rules: The best way to keep a secret? Tell no one! The second-best way? Tell just one person! There is no third-best!"

"A wise man!" Hattie nodded.

"I have a cousin, a few generations removed, on mom's side, who's has some dealings with goblins! He calls them very honorable!" Kathryn said. "He's still alive, as of the last time I heard anything!"

"Than HE is very honorable!" Hattie chuckled.

Another pair of targets were shot at.

"I didn't hear anything in here for `15 minutes!" Hattie said. "That's why I came in here. To see what might be wrong!"

"I took some time to get by myself and pray." Kathryn admitted. "The shooting-range can be the quietest place, here! Perfect place to pray. Ask for guidence."

"Guidence for..?" Hattie asked.

"To endure what I have to go through," Kathryn sighed. "With The Bureau, the Navy.. and the X-Men."

"Why do it at all? If you have to endure?" Hattie asked. "If taking the FBI-files was a mission for the X-Men? That much, I can understand! I understand that you have been an X-Men for that length of time."

"I was told," Kathryn chuckled lightly, "that our files were reworked after I took them! Yes. Even then, I was the X-Men'a computer-geek! Tech-help and sabotuer, at your service! And , theirs."

"Well?" Hattie reasoned. "It was a job they gave you! That, I understand. But, then, why hold on to incriminating evidence? Were you planning to use it in the future?"

"Not at first, Ms. Lange!" Kathryn akswered. "At first? Professor Xavier wanted me to copy the files before I deleted them, so that he could double-check the information we had in our computers. And? Since I was the one who stole the file, I was to be the one to transcribe them! And? The more I read and transcribed the files, the more I came to believe we shouldn't have erased them! This was at the time of Project Wide-Awake, and the X-Men could have used all the friends we could find! And, after that Government Operation was over? Our actions just seemed to come back to haunt us! Anyway, after I'd read the files, I tried to talk the X-Men into handing the files back to the FBI. A few of the students agreed with me, but mot many. And? After a while? New dangers came up, and? The files were forgotten."

"By everybody but you!" Hattie reponded.

"And Xavier!" Kathryn corrected Hattie.

"And Xavier!" Hattie sighed. "Baldy has awlays seemed to be nore trouble than he was worth!"

"I will tell you, Ms. Lange.." Kathryn began.

"Call me "Hettie"!" Hettie smile.

"Thank you, Hettie!" Kathryn smiled easily. "And? Please! No more 'Ms. Pryde'! Too damned formal for me!"

"Alright, 'Kathryn'!" Hettie smiled and then tilted her head. "Or, 'Kat'?"

"'Kat's great!" Kathryn giggled. "Anyway! At first, there was another reason I helped the X-Men erase those files!"

"Oh?" Hettie asked. "Why?"

"Because of what happened in my father's family." Kathryn's voice dropped almost to a whisper.

"Ah! The family of Carmen Pryde!" Hettie noted. "Or, rather, Carmen's father, Itzak Prydeman? As you were told, Kat, the erased files of the F.B.I. have been rebuilt and updated as much as can be updated! And? When I was called to question you about them, I made sure I was given clearance to go through your dossier. It included information on the Gibbs- and Pryde-lines. I know about the Prydemans in the Holocaust."

"As I'm sure you'd know about how the Gestapo used information gathered from conquered-countries on people in those countries?" Kathryn asked.

"Yes." Hettie answered. "And that is why you helped delete the data-base? Because you feared that America might try the same tactics as NAZI Germany?"

"Yes, ma'am." Kathryn answered. "What proved to work, once, will be used, again! And? We all leave enough of a trail for others to follow! Whenever they wish."

"True." Hettie nodded. "And? Under the circumstances? Your Pre-emptive Strike was understandable! Baldy's choice to have you review the data, however? Was not! That manipulative bastard has MUCH to answer for! Including what you've had to go through the past year!"

"Your psychiatrist tell you about that?" Kathryn asked defensively, then continued, "I'm sorry, Hettie."

"No need to apologize. Yes! Nate told me some details!" Hettie admitted. "The remote from the Interoggation room told me the rest. I still cannot believe how dismissively Miss Xi'an Koyh took your problems with the school! Does she really expect the X-Men tp HANDLE a problem they helped to create? And, those are not just my words! They were mine, Director Vance', Mr. Logan's, and Mr. Wagner's!"

"Believe me, Hettie! I've been watching Xavier's Mental Institution for the past two years! Since Xi'an Koyh came back? I think she's actually enjoyed the chaos! She mostly stays safely behind the doors in her room. She lets very few into her room."

"Ah! Remember the old Vietnamese proverb!" Hettie stated. "The Emporer's law stops at the village-gate!"

"I hope that'a all it is!" Kathryns sighed.

"Well? Come on, anyway, Child!" Hettie motioned. "It's about lunchtime! And? After lunch, I want you to meet two more of my team! They've set up a test to let me know how good your computer-skills are!"

"Fair enough!" Kathryn smiled. "And? While I'm being tested? Here's a drive that you, Jethro, and Director Vance ought to look at!" Kathryn handed Hette the thumb-drive. "Call-in Agent Fornell at F.B.I., too! He should be interested in what's on this!"

"I shall! And, thank you, Kathryn!" Hettie smiled as she took the young girl's hand.

Just then, Gibbs walked briskly into the pistol-range:

"Pardon me, Ms. Lange?" Jethro announced. "But, Ducky wants Kathryn and I in Autopsy, ASAP!"

"Then, by all means, Agent Gibbs!" Hettie spoke, "Lead the way!"

Soon, Agents Gibbs and Lange and Shadowcat found their way into Autopssy with Dr. Mallard, Mr. Palmer, Director Vance, and Wolfsbane.

"What do you have for me, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing good, I'm afraid, Jethro!" Duckie said. "For any of us, here. The arrows that killed Lieutant Redmon were, indeed, Oleander! If he hadn't bled out, his executioner made sure the he was hallucinating while he was dying! The ends of the shafts the Teams recovered from the barbecue pit are being analyzed as we speak. But? What I called you in here for was what we - Sharon, Rahne, Mr. Palmer, and I - found under the brand on the Lieutenant's shoulder! We are now sure the 'T' carved into the shoulder, probably, stood for 'Traitor'."

"Traitor to who, Dr. Mallard?" Kathryn asked. "And, how is Sharon doing, Rahne?"

"She's doing well, Kat!" Rahne answered. "She's under 's orders to rest while thee antidote takes effect! And, thank you for that, Dr. Mallard!" Wolfsbane curtsied to the Doctor.

"You're more than welcomed, !" Ducky blushed.

"And, the Coocoos are around Sharon to make sure she follows 's orders!"

"Always a good idea to follow Abbie's orders!" Kathryb grinned, only to lose that grin when she remembered what brought them into Autopsy.

"Why did you say thing the 'T' stands for 'traitor', Ducky?" Kathryn asked.

"You find somwething, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Actually, it was who saw it, first, coughing it out before the Sisters Coocoo and I ushered her upstairs to Abby! She insisted that cut was over an older mark! Yes. She said the mark looked a bit ragged. after we examined it - , , and I - we couuldn't help but come to the same conclusion! But? We sent a picture of the cuts to Abbie! Hopefully, she will be able to identify the marks under the mark."

As if on cue, Abbie's voice and image came over the com-system in Autopsy:

"Ducky! Ducky!" Abbie cried out. "Who all's down there

"You almost have the whole crew down here, Abbs! What do you have for us?"

"Hello, Gibbs! Little Gibbs there?" Abby asked.

"I'm here, Abby!" Kathryn answered. "What's wrong?"

"Well? The only thing right is that Sharon's making a full recovery.. I'd still like to see her resting another hour." Abby replied. "But? That's the only good news I have! You want the bad news, first? Or, the worse news?"

"The way this day started out?" Kathryn grimaced. "I can only take my bad mews in increments! What's the bad naws, Abbie?"

"I'm sending it to you and Jethro, Kat!" Abbie answered.

Suddenly a drawing of a double lightning bolt attached by a crossbar appeared on the screen.

"Son of a bitch!" Shadowcat swore under her breath. "I'm probably gonna need a drink when this day's through! That's the tattoo of the 'Human League'. We got trouble. Dammit!"

"What's the worse news, Abbs?" Jethro asked.

"It's this, Gibbs!" Abbie appeared on the screen, again. "The arrow-shafts our assassins tried to burn left us enough partials that I was able to identify her! She's Lieutentant Cynthia Conners, of Beaufort, North Carolina! She's stationed here in the Yard."

"That's it," Vance said, "I'm putting this place on lock-down before any incriminating-evidence vanishes! Hettie? Call Granger and tell him he's going to have to baby-sit a while longer!"

"On it, Leon!" Hettie put the cell to her mouth:

"Owen? We have a problem, here!"

"Jethro? Director Vance? Hettie?" Kathryn said. "I hate to bug-out, but, I need to warn the other students, here, of the danger!"

"Go right ahead , Kat!" Gibbs said. "We'll be up!"

In a minute, Kathryn was in the Bullpen, letting out the longest, shrillest whistle most of the occupants had ever heard!

"Damn!" Sam Hannah exclaimed, turning sharply round.. "Did you hear that, Callen?"

"I'll let you know once my hearing comes back, Sam." Callen replied. "Who did that? That even topped Eric at his loudest!"

"LOGAN! KURT! SAM! PAIGE! JOSH!" Kathryn shouted out commands like a Drill-Seargent! "DeCOSTA! XI'AN COYH! MOONSTAR! Get your asses in here! Like, YESTERDAY!"

"Coocoos cued the elf an' me on the problem, Kat!" Logan in a calm, yet authoritative, voice.

"What's wrong, Kat?" Fornell asked as he ran into the bullpen. "First, I get a call from Hettie Lange, then I'm isssued into a locked-down building, now I see a couple of X-Men in the office! What gives? Does Baldy really want to tempt the wrath of Mt. Gibbs?"

"Yes, Shadowcat! Why all the excitement?" Sunspot asked.

"We have trouble, people! BIG trouble!" Shadowcat breathed out. "The 'Human Leauge' had at least two agents on-base! A spy amd an assassin."

"The HUMAN LEAGUE?" Sunspot roared. "Where? Here? in Washington?"

"No, DeCosta!" Gibbs growled out. "My cousin said HERE, as on-base!"

"How the HELL did the 'Human League' get into the Navy Yard?!" Fornell tried not to shout. "And, how the HELL long have they been here?"

"I want to know those questions, myself, Tobias!" Gibbs answered, then, he looked up at the cat-walk:

"Leon? Where are Tony, Tim, and Emily?"

"When Ms Sciutto told us about the tatoos and the fingerprints?" Vance said, "I sent DiNozzo and McGee to secure Lieutenant Redmon's residence, and bring any exidence of any plans here. And, I've sent Bishop to collect evidence from Redmon's office and locker and from Lieutenant Connor's office and locker! I've also sent out a BOLO on Lieutenant Connors! As I told Kathryn and the girls, yesterday: If any danger comes to mutants from the U. ? I don't care WHAT rock they hide under! I don't care WHO they are, WHAT their pay-grade is, or HOW well-connected they are! The Navy doesn't need them, the military doesn't need them, and AMERICA doesn't need them!"

"Good call, Leon," Gibbs smiled and cocked his head, "and, better judgement!" He then spoke to Kathryn, "Get this test you have to take over with!"

"Yes, Jethro!" Kate smiled and hugged her cousin before heading to the Forsensics Lab.

"Test?" Dani Moonstars asked Kate as she was leaving. "What test?"

"To prove to the Navy and F.B.I. I can pull off what I claimed I did, Mirage!" Kathryn answered. Soon, Kathryn Pryde was down in Forensics' with Abby,Sharon, the Coocoos, and Eric Beale and Nell Jones from the Los Angeles MCRT:

"Are you SURE about doing this, Kathryn?" Abby asked."I mean, what happens when you pass the test? Like, what if they want to keep you in Washington, permenantly?"

"You seem pretty confident she'll pass our test, Ms, Schiutto!" Eric answered.

"Oh, Kat'll pass it!" Abby smirked.

"We're made it pretty tough, Ms. Schiutto!", Nell said. "And? We haven't even told Ms. Pryde what she has to do!"

"But, you told me!" Abby said. "And? Knowing what she has to do? I know Kat can do it!"

"Now, Abby..?" Kathryn started to admonish the tech-rat.

"Would you.. care to make a wager on that?" Nell goaded Abby.

And Kathryn's face went into her palms!

'Now, you've done it, kids!'

"Ooh!" Abby chuckled. "I LOVE taking sucker-bets! Let's say- fifty from the both of you?"

"DONE!" Eric shouted. "Now, Ms. Pryde, all you have to do is remotely get into my computer and extract information we have on you, Wolfsbane, Catseye, Majik, and Jubilee, without us being able to trace you! The same as what happened to the original F.B.I. files."

"Alright." Kathryn said.

"Take all the time you need!" Nell said, "We'll send you lunch! Your laptop is in the Director's Office."

"She'll only need two hours." Sharon chuckled.

"TWO HOURS ?!" Eric and Nell yelped.

"And only if she has to make any programs from scratch." Abby continued to smirk.

Kathryn began slowly breathing in and out:

"No pressure.. under mo pressure.. under no pressure.. thanks a lot, guys..."

"You're welcomed, Little Gibbs!" Abbie and Sharon sang out.

"Abby?" Kathryn said, "Remember to keep anything important off-line for the next couple of hours!"

"Will do, Little Gibbs!" Abby replied.

And Kathryn left the lab, heading the nost-direct way to the Director's office!

When she entered Vance's office, Kathryn noticed Lron was gone, to be replaced with Dr. Getz!

"I guess Leon's with Jethro and Hettie reviewing the flash-drive?" Kathryn asked Nate.

"Yes, he is!" The psychiatrist replied. "He and Hettie told me to get up here and monitor your test."

"Okay!" Kathryn said, sliding behind the desk set up for her. "Best get started , then, a couple of friends set up a dead-line for me."

"A dead-line?" Getz asked.

"Yeah. They made a wager with our Forensics-Expert!" Kat answered the Psychiatrist.

Getz just chuckled. It sounded like something Eric and Nell might fall for.

"Ah! I see I've been given a couple of spare flash-drives?" Kathryn observed.

"Hettie's orders!" Nate answered.

"The little goblin thinks of everything." Kathryn mumbled under a grin.

"What?" Nate asked.

"Just something between Hettie and I!" Kate said. "Now! Let's get to work!"

After a 15-minute diagnostic of her system and a scan of any similar systems in the building, Kathryn plugged in one flash-drive and started to work. Meanwhile, she also started talking to Dr. Getz, again:

"I halfway-expected Ms. Lange to bring a psychiatrist along to anylize me! Never thought you'd be a field-agent, though!"

"Thank you for noticing!" Nate grinned. "You've handled yourself well, so far, Ms. Pryde!"

"Well? It IS the X-Men I'm dealing with!"

"That's the thing that most impresses me!" Nate answered. "You're still alive, and so are they!"

"A combination of prayer and not seeing everyone 24-7, Dr. Getz!"

"Problems?" Nate asked.

"A few!" Kathryn answered. "You know about Bobby?"

"Hettie explained her run-ins with his father on the plane to Washington this morning!" Nate said.

"Unfortunately?" Kathryn said. "Bobby's too much like his father."

"So Hettie noticed." Nate said apologetically. "Have you met Mr. DeCosta?"

"Each X-Man has had at least one run-in with Emmanuel DeCosta, Dr. Getz!" Kathryn sighed. "And? Once is enough! He seems to think he's Emeror of South America! Brazil's not big-enough for him."

"And the other X-Men?" Nate asked.

"Are the reason I'm here, Dr. Getz!" Kathryn dead-panned.

Thirty minutes after the diagnostic, Kate had switched projects. "Built the bug? Now to build the anti-bug!"

"Anti-bug?" Getz said, intruiged. "Why build an anti-virus?"

"To repair anything I have to distroy!" Kate replied. "The diagnostic I ran showed two identical set-ups to my computer, here! Down to the firewalls. And - They don't seem to be store-baught! So? My guess is they will try to trap me in a decoy set-up! Sorry, kids! This Kat may be a mouse, but? This mouse ain't blind!" Kat then replaced one drive with another. "Okay! Now, to put the anti-bug one on this stick. Done! And replace it with the first drive, label 'b' for bug! Now to arm this stck! trip-wire 1, to seek and erase? And, trip-wire 2, to shut a system DOWN!"

"Ransomeware?" Nate asked. "We were told not to burn-up these computers, too much! They have to go back to L.A. with us!"

"Don't worry!" Kate smiled. "That's why I wrote the anti-bug program! I used to have a partner, Doug Ramsay! We were, for a time, the X-Men's answer to every hacker who came after us, Publice-Secture or Private! What I didn't know about computers and software before we met? I learned from Doug! Okay! The package is locked! Now? To run another scan of my targets. Which one has the prize? And which one is the dud?"

Fifteen minutes later, a wicked smile developed on Kat's face:

"Ah-ha! Getting the prize, now, as well as the schematics to repair the computers once this trap is sprung by the boobie operating it! Come on, Dr. Getz! I want to enjoy my luch!" Kathryn then pocketed thr retrieved flash-drive. "And make sure Abby is paid her sucker-bet!"

In five minutes, Kathryn and Dr. Getz were down in Abby's lab:

"Okay!" Kate anounced. "I'm finished."

"Finished?" Eric asked. "How can you be finished? How can you even be started?"

Abby wore a ridiculous smile.

"The hardest thing was building a modified-worm to do two distinct maneuvers, silently" Kathryn replied.

"Silently?" Eric asked. "Noting's silent on this!" Eric turned on the monitor to view the information on the five X-Men, only to be told the files weren't there.

"What the HELL?" Eric did a scan of the lap-top. After a 15-minute swarch, he yelped:

"The package is GONE!"

Nell typed in a few commands. "Don't worry, partner! Help is on the way."

Kate bit into an apple:

"I wouldn't do that, Ms. Jones."

Nell was able to view Eric's laptop-menu for all of 15 seconds, when a picture of Kathryn's smiling face appeared on her screen:

[Meow!]

Then both Nell's lap-top, and Eric's, had big YIELD signs showing up on the monitors!

"What the..?!" Both agents started to exclaim.

"My version of ransomeware!" Kathryn said with a mouth half-full of apple. She took a couple of swallows of fruit. "I've had to gaurd the X-Men from cyber-attacks for so long.. update security and counter-  
>measures.." She took another bite of apple. "That, if I had a dream about getting called into the computer -lab, I could probably build two of those in my sleep!"<p>

"And? I'd bet they would work!" Abby giggled.

"Having fun with this, Abby?" Kathryn asked.

"Yep," The Forensic-Scientist replied.

"You'll have more fun once Chip and Dale hand over their money to you, !" Callen answered from the doorway.

"Callen?" Eric jumped, "How did you..?"

"Know about the bet you made with ?" Callen smiled. "A little Coocoo told me!"

"Her sisters are right.." Ksthryn giggled. "Celeste IS a tattle-tell! Heehee!"

"Only when she thinks it matters!" Hannah smiled. "Eric? Nell? What did we warn you about making wagers?'

"Never bet against us?" Beale answered.

"That's right!" Sam replied. "Now, pay up! We don't want the East Coast thinking the West Coast doesn't know how to make good on what they say."

"Wise words, Mr. Hannah!" Hettie said, walking into the room, followed closely by Vance, Gibbs, and Fornell. Hettie then walked over to the computers. After a quick imspection, she turmed to Eric:

"I take it, Mr. Beale, that the computers are frozen?" Hettie enquired.

Gibbs smiled vaguely.

"Actually, Hetttie, we've been hacked."

"'Hacked', Mr. Beale?" Hettie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gibbs chuckled.

"And .. we were .. shut down, Hettie." Nell hesitantly admitted.

"Baa.. .aah!" Gibbs said in a low tone.

"Beaureau's gonna love hearing about this." Fornell sighed.

"In under 15 minutes." Dr. Getz said.

"Fifteen minutes?" Callen asked. "That's it! I officially impressed!"

"Well.." Kate stuttered a bit, embarassed "I.. I... I did have t. to.. ah.. another 15 mins to.. discover.. where the girls and I were.. and another 15 to.. build the bug."

"You built A VIRUS, FROM scratch, IN 15 MINUTES?" Tim McGee asked. "That's IMPESSIVE!"

"I'll say.." Tony DiNozzo agreed. "Din't you say it usually takes a half-hour to built a virus?"

"I said the BEST hackers usually take half-an-hour, Tony!" Tim grinned. "Most hackers take AT LEAST an hour to built even a SIMPLE one!"

"Well, this one wasn't simple!" Nell moped. "It ate into Eric's computer and stole the informatiom we used as bait. Then? It PADLOCKED my computer, and Eric's!"

"A Miner AND Ransomeware? In one program?!" Tim's eyes bugged out. "Forget IMPREESSED! I'm now AMAZED!"

"Two programs in one?" Vance asked Kathryn. "Tim and Abby will want to know how! I want to know why1"

"When I ran the first diagnostic, Director Vance?", Kathryn explained, "I saw two almost-identical programs running down here! 'Almost'. When the directories were scanned, I saw oNe system had the files I was supposed to get! And, In the other? I recognized a tracking-module that could also be used to trap me! And, well? I got mad. Hell! I got pissed! I may be a mouse, but, I'll be DAMNED if I'm BLIND! So? I built something onto the miner to blind them!"

"In their defence, Kathryn?" Hetie said, "Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones were just following orders!"

"I DON'T CARE, MS. LANGE!" Kathryn practically screamed, then breathed out a slow, deadly hiss:

"I am - still - pissed!"

"Definitely a Gibbs!" Jethro chuckled. "Tim? Tony? You and Bishop are back! That means you've collected the evidence?"

"Ah, yeah, boss!" Tim said. "We went into Lt. Redmon's quarters, and searched the primisces! After retrieving correspondence, we went through his laptop!"

"Suprisingly, boss, Redmon had no password to get into his conputer!" DiNozzo said. "So? McGee jut downloaded his files to a jump-drive! If any machines are free?"

"As soon as I get the Okay to run 'em, Tony!" Abby chimed out. "Kathryn warned me it might be best if my babies went into temporary shut-down."

:How 'temporary', Kathryn?" Tomy called out to Shadowcat.

"Just need to hook up my computer to Mr. Beale's and Ms. Jones'!" Kathryn replied. "Since the anti-virus I built, I built here? This machine's already immunized! Just need to repair the other two systems and then instal my antivirus." She then hooked up two co-axile cables, "The wi-fi routers removed from your machines?" Eric and Nell answered in the affirmative. "Okay! That's good! So is mine. You can start the kids back up, Abby!"

Katryn then rebooted her laptop. "On? Good. Okay! Let's compare schematics, shall we, Ms. Jones?"

"Okay!" Nell breathed out slowly. "And, pleas, call me 'Nell'? 'Ms. Jones' sounds too much like Hettie when.."

"You've been called to the Principal's Office?" Kathryn lightly giggled.

And Callen and Hannah snickered.

"Who hasn't been called to the 'Principal's Office'?" Callen assked in a low voice.

Catseye laughed.

"Been there, done that! Many times. Just be grateful your Principal isn't a telepath! Especially whem you have something you need to say - but, have been told you shouldn't say."

Nell looked nervously towards Hettie:

"I don't know about that.. sometimes."

"Yeah! I've wondered that, myself!" Sam Hannah muttered.

And, Catseye started laughing, harder!

Kathryn emitted another giggle. "Yep. Hettie and I talked a bit about that! Classified intel. Both ways. But? I know something that might help."

"Oh?" Beale asked. "What would that be?"

"occulumancy." Kathryn and Jethro said at the same time!

Vance, McGee, Bishop, and every one of the L.A. team within hearing-range turned their faces toward Kathryn and Jethro!

"Occulumancy?"

"What's Occulumancy'?"

Hettie turned slowly toward Gibbs:

"How does a Marine gunnery-saergeant know about Occulumancy?"

"Lomg story, Ms. Lange." Gibbs answered. "About another cousin."

"okay..", Kathryn said a couple of minutes later. "Ms. Jones? You machine chacked ou! I de-bugged and repaired it! I had a feeling I'd have to eat through two or three firewalls and a partition or two. Now? To disinfect Mr. Beale's Beast!"

Kathryn switched out co-axiles:

"Okay! Let's ride the dinosaur, again! Back to the C-Commands! Where's the schematic?"

"Before you repair all your handiwork, Ms. Pryde?" Director Vance said, "Fornell and I would like to see the damage done to Mr. Beale's system!"

"Sure thing, Director Vance!" Kathryn answered. "I have the two schematics side-by-side, here!"

Fornell gave a low whistle. "This is what happened to the F.B.I.'s old system?"

"It is overkill, Unle Tobias!" Ksthryn said. "And? No. This isn't what happened to the F.B.I,'s system! For one thing, I didn't have to go through so many fire-walls! Did my hack actually cause the F.B.I. to revamp their defences THAT much?"

"That is IMPRESSIVE, Ms. Pryde!" Vance said. "That is not a 'black eye'!"

"Nah!" Gibbs smiled as he studied the schematics. "That's a gut-punch!"

"You understand that, boss?" McGee asked, looking at the damage.

"A schematic is just a blueprint, McGee!" Gibbs replied. "I may not know what everything does, but I can see where it goes. Half the system is labled 'OFF' or 'MISSING'!"

"Once you get the ransome paid off," Fornell asked Kathryn, "can you show me what your miner did?"

"Sure thing, Uncle Tobias!" Kathryn smiled.

Soon, Tobias Fornell was witnessing the miner's damage:

"Well, I'll be damned!" Fornell smiled. "The rest of the data-field looks prestine! You'd never know it was hacked if you didn't know what was on here, before! Even the boys at the Bureau are having a problem making things look this clean 100% of the time!"

"What are you talking about, Tobia!" Abby exclaimed. "They don't make things look that clean 50% of the time!"

"Kathryn?", Fornell announced, "if the X-Men are ever stupid enough to cut you loose? I can think of at least THREE agencies that would be more than happy to offer you a home!"

"Thank you, Uncle Tobias1" Kathryn gavve a wry smile. "Actually? The way things are going with the X-Men? I may just be a free-agent, shortly! Unless the X-Men realize why I've done what I've done, they won't ever trust me, again. Hell! They probably wouldn't trust me ever if they TRIED to understand me! But? I can't go anywhere unless my girls come with me! I'd worry too much about them."

"About the X-Men, Ms. Pryde?" Director Vance said, "We need to talk to you, urgently."

"Am I in that much trouble?" Kathryn asked. "With the stolen-files?"

"You're not in trouble, Kate!" Jethro responded. "The X-Men might be, though! Specifically, Professor Charles Xavier and the first-class of X-Men!"

"Was ist das about Sie X-Men?" Kurt said from the doorway. "Was did we do?"

"You, personally, Kurt?" Gibbs answered. "You've done nothing. Neither has Logan, that would be consideed treasonous to The United States or to Canada! Xavier, Gray, and Summers, however, are different stories!"

"'Different stories'?" Henrietta Lange huffed. "They're not even in the same BOOK!"

"Who's not in the same book?" Logan asked, appearing at the door.

"The Proffesor and his pet-students, Wolverine!" DiNozzo answered.

"Coulda told ya that, Tony!" Logan said with a feral grin. "We X-Men all have our problems, but? Those three are special kinds o' screwball! Oh! Reason I came down is to tell ya ya have a visitor, sounds, smells, and holds herself 'Israeli', possibly Mossad. Says her name is..."

"Ziva David?" Tony was the first one to react.

"Yeah, that's her name!" Logan said, "Said she worked with you!"

"Mossad-liaison to NCIS," Vance explained. "Her father was head of Mossad."

"Eli David?" Logan asked. "Heard of him! All the bad-asses had a bounty on his head! An' anyone associated with him!"

"Think they knew about you, Leon?" Jethro asked rhetorically.

"As much as they know about you, Jethro!" Vance grinned. "Maybe more?"

"Think we should go and see what brought Ziva back here?" Tony asked.

"We're heading that way, DiNozzo!", Gibbs responded.

Soon, everyone was from downstairs - minus Duckie, Palmer, and Abby - was gathered in the second-floor Conference-Toom:

"Okay!" Vance said, "Becore we find out anything about our spy, downstairs, and our assassin-in-the-wind, we'd like to know a couple of things about the X-Men, lately! And, Kathryn? We hope you - at least - can help us fill-in the holes!"

"I'll try, Director Vance!" Shadowcat answered.

"Good!" Gibbs saidm turning to his cousin. "Kathryn? When we were at the crime-scene in Atascotia, You mention another X-Man and her sisters? The Wyngardes?"

"Only one of them is named Wyngarde," Kathryn explained, "but, yes, they are sisters! Or? Half-sisters! They're.."

"Trrouble!" Logan and Kurt interupted.

"Now, Logan! Kurt!" Rahne pleaded. "Megan's nae as bad as her sisters!"

"Nobody's as bad as Jason and Wyngarde, Rahne!" Kathryn smirked.

"So? The are related to Jason Wyngarde? The Mastermind?" Gibbs asked.

"His bastard-daughters, Jethro!" Kathryn said almost-apolozetically. "And, as far as Martinique Jason and Lady Mastermind go? They put the 'bastard' in bastard!"

"Well? That answers the suspision that Bureau has about who they are!" Fornell said. "Why Xavier ever agreed to let even ONE of those girls in the X-Men is beyong me! At least, Magneto went to trial in front of the World-Court for his past crimes! I don't know if any other members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants did! How did Xavier agree to that?"

"Simply put, Uncle Tobias?" Kathryn said. "Xavier wasn't the one Mastermind went to! He went to Jean Grey to as her forgiveness for playing sll thod mind-games on her after her learned he was dying of the legacy-virus. And, asked her to watch over his daughters! Or? At least, to watch over then youngest one, Megan Gwynn. Unfortunaterly, you take Megan? You get the other two."

"So? Wyngardes's dead" Fornell mused. "Explains how he dropped off the radar."

"Are they trouble, Kathryn?" Hettie asked. "Mastermind's daughters?"

"Mainly to themselves, Ms. Lange!" Kathryn stifled a giggle. "The older-two are always fighting over who's the rightful heir to the legacy of The Mastermind! Unfortunately, too many innocents get caught in their mind-games against each other, which have proven to be fatal on occasion!"

"Unlike us?" Celeste sang out.

"Celeste?" Kathryn answered. "Contrary to public opinion, you Coocoos are not as dangerous as you can be to those who aren't on your hit-lists! And? Not as bad BY HALF as you once were to the X-Nem! In fact, you three are most dangerous to yourselves! Especially? When there were five of you, with each one scheming to gain control of the other four! In fact, you three STILL seem to tempt fate when you try to .. as Irma says .. 'become your own person.'"

"Start making bad decisions?" Jethro asked in observation.

"Try potentionally-fatal ones!" Kathryn corrected her cousin.

"Ouch." Leon said. "You stated they were once dangerous to the X-Men, Ms. Pryde?"

"We were grown and developed to be anti-mutant weapons," Celeste responded, "especially against the X-Men!"

"Developed?" Hettie asked. "By who?"

"Genosha." Celrstr answered.

"Genosha?" Hettie responded. "The mutant-haven?"

"If Genosha is a haven, Ms. Lange?" Celeste said, "So was Theresienstadt!"

"Noted." Hettie answered.

"Anyway!" Logan said, "The reason I came down here was a young lady came into the office looking for you! I figured I'd leave her with Mrs. Bishop. The way she talks, smells, and carries herself screams 'Israeli'. Probably Mossad. Said her name is..."

"Ziva?" Tony asked.

"Yep!" Logan answered. "Said she worked with you?"

"Yes, she did, Logan!" Gibbs answered. "Was our liaison with Mossad for a while! Even became a U.S. Citizen! Went back to Israel to avenge her father's assassination!"

"I wonder what brough t her back, Stateside?" Tim pondered.

"Why don't we ask her?!" Kate shouted happily, giggling out of the Conference-Room:

"HEY! DAVID!"

"She know Ziva, Jethro?" Director Vance asked.

"Met the last time the X-Men were in town!" Gibbs answered. "Before you came to Head NCIS-Mid-Atlantic, Leon!"

"How have you been, Ziva bat-Eli?" Kathryn bowed respectfully. "Jethro wrote me about you're going back to Israel. I missed you! Is your business there finished?"

:Unfortunately, Kathryn bat-Tommai? No!" Ziva sighed. "I still have much to do before I can even THINK of home!"

"Eli's assassin still alive?" Jethro asked.

"No, Gibbs!" Ziva chuckled darkly brhind a tiny smile. "Many are looking for him, but few shall find him! He considered himself a modern-day Maccabbee, and I left him under a rock in the Ogedan! The jackels will even have a problem finding his remains!"

"He's gone, but not forgotten, Ziva?" Tony asked.

"Unfortunately so, Tony!" Ziva answred. "He was in the process of.. building a network. He already had cells in Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Yemen Oman, Qatar, Iraq, and Syria, and had feelers in Turkey, India, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmanistan, Spain, and France! I'm busy, now, dismantling that network - how does that song go? 'One piece at time'? It is rumoured he has even visited Chechnya."

"Are you sure you don't need any help, Savid?" Director Vance asked.

"Think you, Director, but no!" Ziva smiled."I would prefer to keep the U.S. .. out of this. I am trying to keep Israel out of this as much as possible."

"This is a totally Black-Op, then?" Gibbs asked.

"It is." Ziva said matter-of-factly.

"Then what brings you Stateside, Ziva?" Tony asked.

"Something that I observed back in Israel, Tony, my last trip there!" Ziva said. "Yesterday, I was visiting Yad Vashem, our merolial to the Holocaust, when I saw Magneto! Now? Neither the Knesset, nor Mossad, have a warrent out for him! And, as a Jew, Magneto is free to come and go as he pleases! However? Tel Aviv takes an interest any time The Master of Magnetism appears! So? When he received a phoncall and seemed to cut his visit short? I decided to follow him!"

"What did you find out, David?" Gibbs asked. "Besides, Magneto being in the States?"

"Well. Gibbs?" Ziva answered. "When we arrived at the airport at Tel Aviv, I took note that he bought a ticket for Washington! So? After I, too, bought a ticket to Washington, I introduced myself and struck-up a conversation with him! Anyway, Mr. Eisenstadt told me that a friend of his had gone to Washington," she then looked to Kathryn, "and might be in trouble! Kathryn? It is you Max is worried about, isn't it? I can, honestly, think of no one else, among Max's friends, who would WILLINGLY come to Washinton! What has happened?"

"You think Magneto's coming here, Kat?" Sharon asked.

"He is." Kathryn stated. "Dammit, Max! Who told you I was here?" She them stepped and turned to face Gibbs and Ziva:

"Max Eisenstadt is my friend! And? I have no doubt, that he would come here, if he though I was in serious trouble! But? If he's coming here, someone would have had to tell him I was here! And? If they told him then they probably told him why I'm here!"

"So, you think he's after the X-Men?" Eleanore Bishop asked.

"That's my best guess, Mrs. Bishop!" Kathryn said. "And? Since no one but the Professor knew about the FBI-files.."

"It's not that trouble he's coming down to check on." Logan said.

"What is this trouble, Kathryn?" Ziva asked. "And, who started it?"

"Things have been getting a bit too - personal - in the past year, Ziva!" Shadowcat told the woman she considered a big-sister. "Too.. intimate.. if you can imagine it! And? Not enough intimacy from others."

Ziva let out a low growl. "Let me guess! The African, the Siberian, and the Redhead!"

"Good guesses, Ziva." Gibbs spoke.

"The Siberian is an idiot!" Ziva spat out.

"No argument, here, Ziva!" Tony and Tim sighed.

"Mrs. Gray loves playing her mind-games too much." Ziva groused.

"It's 'Summers', now!" Eleanore said. "But? From what I've read and seen of her, ming-games are a definite M.O.!"

"And, the way I saw Ms. Monroe look at me? And others?" Ziva spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper, "I would have gladly torn out that African Leopardess' windpipe out!"

"Would have saved everyone alot of grief if you had, David!" Gibbs said.

"Herr Eisenstadt would definitely have reason to come after us!" Nightcrawler said.

"Well?" Gibbs growled. "He's gonna have get in-line right behind me!" Gibbs then barked out. "Before that happens, though - BISHOP! What did you find in Lieutenant Connor's quarters?."

"Not much in the way of evidence, Gibbs!" Bishop replied. "I found some whittled remains in a trashcan in the Lieutenant's quarters. And, a notepad. The top piece of paper had been written on, but torn off! Hopefuly? Abbie can find out what was written-down. Also, downloaded all the files off of the Lieutenant's Laptop as instructed by Agent Vance!"

"BIG GIBBS! LITTLE GIBBS!" Abby rushed out of the elevator to the Conference Area. "We got problems! I just transcribed Connors' files and emails! There's more the two members of the 'Human League' stationed in and around Washington! There's about three SEAL-Teams worth of the Bastards stationed in the Navy Yard, itself! Probably why they didn't even put extra-security on these computers or - at least - encrypt their e-mail!"

"Probably thought their numbers would protect them!" Gibbs sighed.

"That's not the worst news, Gibbs!" Abby said. "As of 0500, today? According to E-mail chatter? Litle Gibbs, Rahne, Illyanna, Jubilee, and Sharon were known to be here in the Yard! And had a bounty on every one of their heads!"

"Wadda we do, Commander?" Lockheed asked Shadowcat from his perch on top of her head.

"I'll tell you what we'l do!" Kathryn replied, then let out three birdcalls:

"Whip-poor-will! Whip-poor-will! Whip-poor-will!"

The offices of the NCIS-MCRT, which seemed to have become a collction of hives of activity, quieted down as every mutant in the building seemed to focus-in on Kathryn!

"We have PROBLEM, people!" Shadowcat announced. "Our original problem has grown and multiplied! MCRT and I have just learned that AT LEAST fifteen members of the 'Human League' have somehow embedded themselves in the Naval Yard, and that they've known the girls and I were here since this morning! And? There has been a bounty on my head, and each of the girls, also since this morning! I am also sure that the group formed to take us home, this morning, has just raised the bounty and number of targets, plus the number of idiots gunning for us!"

"Hold on, Shadowcat!" Sunspot just to toward the stairs. "How DARE you say that...!"

"Shut it, Bobby!" Kathryn said without changing her stance. "One more WORD out of you, and my advice to Agent Vance will be an overnight stay in solitary! If you hadn't come down to 'rescue' us? The girls and I wouldn't have left the Yard! True, the League has agents, here, but I highly doubt they would have been stupid enough to launch a pre-emptive strike, here! A 'mutant-invasion' of Washington, however? That just gives the League the excuse they need to storm this place! And, that's just the start of our problems."

"What's the other problem, Katchen?" Kurt asked.

"Magneto's in town, Kurt!" Kathryn responded. "Or? At least he was, according to Agent David! She informed us he flew into Washington on the same Al-El flight she did, after receiving a phone-call in Israel! At least, he WAS in Washington! Not sure where he is, now? But? Since he's not here, I have a pretty good ideaa as to where he's gone. And? I'am sure he'll be back here. Jethro? Do you mind if I high-jack Tim?"

"Go right ahead, Kat!" Gibbs grinned.

"Tim?" Kathryn said. "I need a visual-record of what Magneto's been doing since he landed as Ronald Reagan!"

"Got it, Boss-Lady!", McGee said. "Been looking for it ever since Ziva mentioned Magneto was in the country! Transferring to main-screen!"

"'Boss-Lady'?" Shadowcat looked at McGee. "You've been talking to Jubilee, haven't you?"

"She's just worried about you, Kat! We all are." McGee answered. "'Boss-lady' DOES fit, though! You and Gibbs are alot slike! And? No offence to Logan intended, but? You're the smartest and calmest X-Man, here!"

"No offence taken, McGee!" Wolverine grinned. "You're right! Been takin' my cues from Kate ever since I got here1 Hm.. Magneto's walking into a bus-station?"

"That was after he seemed to check something." McGee said

"I - can't tell from the camera," Kurt said, "However, if das ist the correct camera, das ist the direction to der Naval Yard he ist pointing to?"

"It is!" Gibbs said.

"That was probably a mini-Cerebro-unit he was using to scan with, Jethro!" Kathryn replied. "He knows we're here, then, and - probably - alreadt knows about the mutant-nullificatin-field I set up around here! Probably thinks the girls and I will be fine for the time being."

"Hmm.. looks like he got on a bus at.. 2:14pm?" McGee said.

"What bus was that, McGee?" Tony asked, a bit worriedly.

"The northbound the New York City." McGee said.

"Dammit," Shadowcat groaned, cradly Lockheed in her arms. "This day keeps getting better and better. I'm going to need a strong drink when the evening comes."

"Let me guess!" Callen said. "Magneto's going to have a talk with Professor Charles Xavier?"

"A freindly chat, hopefully?" Sam Hannah asked.

"Not the way the Cat's reacting." Deeks and Bly deadpanned in low voices.

"Talk? Yes." Kathryn saighed. "Friendly? When Hell freezes over!"

"What I want to know is who the HELL called Magneto to make him react this way?" Hettie asked.

"I got a sneaking-suspicion as to who, Hettie." Kate said, then called out:

"CELESTE! MINDEE! PHEOBE! Did Emma tell you anything about any calls being made outside the country between when the girls and I left and when DeCosta lead the 'Rescue Party' down here?"

"One call was made, Kathryn," Phoebe answered. "from the Institute."

"Emma find out who sent it?" Kathryn asked.

"Of course." The Coocoos responded in unison.

"Let me guess." Kathryn deadpanned, sliding down the wall to the floor, and out of sight to almost everyone.  
>"First name, 'Raven'? Second name, 'Darkholme'?"<p>

"Good guess!" The Coocoos unisoned.

"Dammit!" Kathryn whispered, as she arose rabbing her tempels. "Jethro? This shit's giving me a headache! I'm going down to Autopsy and lie down. Sam? Paige? Josh? Jimmy? You are going to have to go with Kurt and Logan back to the Institute. Hopefully? Youu'll get there before Magneto does? Try to calm him down?" She then called out. "Rahbe! Sharon! Jubilee! Illyanna! Give me 30 minutes to rest, then check-out a sidearm and meet me at the pistol-rsnge! Ms. Lange wants to see your skills at the firing-range! DeCosta! Xi'an Coyh! Moonstar!  
>I am sure that Jethro and Ms. Lange will want to speak to you three. Seperately!"<p>

Vance then got off his cell-phone:

"Hettie? I just received a call from Owen Granger! He said he's in D.C. at the urgent-requst of a friend that he should be meeting here at the Navy Yard today or tomorrow! He asked that one of your team pick him up at the airport, now!"

"Mr. Deeks? Ms. Blye! Pick up Director Granger at Reagan!" Hettie said. "Unless? You wish to help me deal with Mr. DeCosta, Ms. Moonstar, and Ms. Xi'an Coyh?"

"Nah!" Marty and Kenzie replied. "We're feeling a bit mean. We'll leave them to You, G., and Sam! And, Agent Gibbs, of course!"

"Oh, of course!" Hettie responded.

"Come on, Kenz!" Deeks almost sang out. "Let's go pick up Granger!"

"Hello, Uncle Donald!" Kathryn entered the Autopsy Room. "If you're not awfully busy, may I borrow a back-table? Headache's killing me. God! I haven't had a pounder like this since I learned I was a mutant!"

"Of course, my dear girl!" Dr. Mallard said. "Mr. Palmer and I just put our spy away, so take whichever table you like!"

"If I'm asleep in 30 minutes, wake me up, okay?" Kathtyn asked. "Hettie wants the girls and I on the firing-range."

"Will do, !" Jimmy Palmer said. "Is Lockheed around here, anywhere?"

"In the corner, Boy-o!" Came a gruff voice. "Seein' Kate isn't disturbed by certain prople!"

"Yes.. I seem to hear that Mr. DeCosta and Ms. Xi'an Coyh made memorable impressions!" Duckie said, "Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately, for them?" Kathryn sighed from her chosen table. "Sunspot and Karma were just being themslves!  
>And? Mirage got caught up in their mess! Not only has Danni CLSAIMED the title of 'War-cheif' of her class.. she's taken the mantle of the Dog-Soldiers!"<p>

"Would you like some tea, to relax you, Kathryn?" Duckie asked.

"Thank you, Uncle Donald!" Kathryn answered. "And, maybe another, when I wake up? Might keep me from wanting to strangle Bobby?"

Soon, Deeks and Kenzie were waiting for Owen Granger at the Entrance doors of Ronald Raegan Airport.

"Wonder what caused Granger to come out here?" Deeks asked.

"Not sure!" Kenzie answered. "All that Hettie said was that a friend call him with urgent business, here!"

"I know, Kenz!" Deeks replied. "But.. D.C? Come ON! Like, the old man hates this place as much as Hettie does! He probably tried to shower Washington off of him as soon as gets back home!"

"I know I would." Kenzie commented.

"I try to!" Deeks agreed. "You think Granger's here because the Shadowcat is here?"

"Maybe?" Kenzie replied. "We can always ask him!"

She pointed to Granger, who was ending a phone-call as he exited the building.

"Deeks! Blye!" Granger acknowledged. "Hettie choose to send you two?"

"Yeah!" Deeks said. "She highjacked G. and Sam to help her talk to DeCosta!"

"She's expecting trouble?" Granger smirked, trying not to chuckle.

"DeCosta brought it on, himself, sir!" Blye answered. "He got into an altercation with Kathryn Pryde!"

Upon hearing this, the old man frowned. "My friend's not going to like hearing about that!"

"When will you be meeting with your friend, sir? If I may ask?" Deks said.

"You may, Deeks! Since Henrietta told me you and Ms. Blye seemed to have made friends with Pryde, who is also a friend of my friend, and, the main reason he's concerned about Washington at the moment! The meeting's been put-off until tomorrow, about noon! My friend had to make a detoure to New York."

The car, already slowed by afternoon traffic, came to a sudden, complet stop!

Marty Deeks then flipped a switch, killing any listening-devices in the car.

"Thank you, Martin!" Granger said.

"You're welcomed.. sir." Deeks answered. "Your.. friend? Is the Master of Magnetism?"

"Since before I joined The Agency, Mr. Deeks!" Granger replied. "Back when I stationed in the Mediterranian! Back then, no one had heard of 'Megneto', very few outside the universities knew what mutants were! And 'Magnus' Eisenstadt was just a refugee without a family! We met in Nikosia! I was on leave and he was a drifter! He told me - later - that he'd lost his family. Twice. His parents and sisters were killed in Auschwitz, and his daughter died in a housefire in the Soviet Union, and his wife left his shortly sfter the child died. After that? He felt totally lost! 'This world is not for me!' He'd say. 'And, never will be.' He did not trust the West, that gave birth to Fascism and nurtured it, or the East, that gave rise to Communism! That 'Each feared and hated the individual who too different from everybody else'!" Owen then took a breath, lost in memories:

"He's right. Hetold me that, once, he saw America as a ray of hope, until he saw us acting in ways that reminded him too much of Germany! But? He said, as long as there was someone who saw the dangers at either end for what they were, he would always try to help us!"

"Magneto see Charles Xavier as that person, Agent Granger?" Kenzie asked.

"Once!" Granger said. "Now, he sees him as another Nevill Chamberlain! Those are his words."

"Strong words." Deeks noted. "And.. he's a friend of Kathryn's because..?"

"She made him see that, in fighting his enemies? He was coming just like them! And? All she had to do was lay in his arms. He explained that to me when he called earlier today, about an hour after you and Hettie left home."

"Why did Magneto come here, and then leave?" Kenzie asked.

"Magnus just explained that on the phone to me! Seems as soon as he left the Airport, he felt a strenge electrical field around the Navy Yard! And, when he tried to probe it, his powers weakened a bit! He figured Kathryn must have set up some security around the Yard the way she helped set up security at the school!"

It was Deek's time to chuckle. "Well? If anyone could do that, in the amount of time they didn't have, it would be the Kat!"

And Kenzie giggled at the recent-memory.

"Let me guess!" Granger grinned. "She trapped the Meerkats!"

"Locked Eric and Nell out of their OWN compuuters!" Kenzie laughed. "In all of 30 minutes!"

"Thirty MINUTES?" Granger exclaimed. "Impossible!"

"Actually.. Nate said it took here about fifteen minutes!" Deeks countered. "Once she got the bug-from-hell built."

"I am going to have to meet this girl!" Granger grinned. "Why did she add security to the Navy Yard?"

"Some of her school-mates weren't that thrilled abou her coming doen to Washington." Deeks sighed as he pulled the car into the Navy Yard.

"Anyone know why came to the Navy Yard in the first place?" Granger asked.

"From what we've heard from some of the eye-witnesses," Kenzie spoke. "It sounds like personal-problems between the students. Very personal."

"How personal?" Granger asked.

"The kind of 'Personal' that gets people labeled 'Predators'." Deeks answered. "Or? Starts divorce-  
>procedings."<p>

"Ouch." Granger reacted. "Max is gonna wanna kill someone. How long has this shit been going on?"

"For a very long time, Granger! Some of the students say this has been going one for six months?" Kenzie answered. "Some say a year!"

"I'd be surprised if Max doesn't kill the whole school! No wonder he's headed to New York!" Granger groused. "He's gone to try to talk to 'Chamberlaine'!"

Soon the three West-Coast Operatives were in the Bullpen:

"Hey, Gramger!" Sam called. "Hettie told G. and I to let you know she was at the shooting range with Kathryn and her brood!"

"Hettie said you might be interested in seeing how they handle themselves!" Calen added.

"You bet I would!" Granger said.

"By the way!" Deeks smirked. "How did Roberto handle his questioning under Hettie?"

"Oh! Hettie didn't question him!" Sam tried not to smile.

"Yeah.." Callen grinned. "Something about not wanting to 'kill the bastard'?"

"Let me guess.." Grsanger chuckled. "'Prince Roberto de Costa'?"

"Good guess!" Csllen grinned.

"So? Who wound up interviwing de Costa?" Kenzie asked.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs!" Sam replied.

"De Costa probably would have prefered taking his chances with Hettie?" Kenzie tried not to laugh. "And who did Hettie question?"

"Xi'an Coyh Manh!" Sam and G. said almost together.

"Karma?" Deeks and Blye responded together.

"And Abby turned off the Inhibitor Field!" Sam said. "As for Kathryn and Gibbs' instructions!"

"Was Hettie..?" Deeks begin.

"Wearing her Inhibitor Coller?" Blye finished the question.

"No." Sam grinned.

"How did she manage to keep Xi'an Coyh from controlling her with her mind-powers?" Deeks and Blye asked.

"Occulumancy, probably." Granger said.

"'Occulumancy'?" Sam asked. "What's that? It's the second time today I've head that word! The first time from Gibbs and Pryde!"

"I sounds like some sort of magic." Deeks said.

"It's the art of clouding your thoughts from people who could read them!" Granger said. "And, supposedly, it is magic."

"Hettie knows abut this?" Callen asked.

"Maybe!" Granger said. "You'd best ask Hettie!"

"How do you know about this art, Granger?" Sam asked. "Something the C.I.A. knows about the the SEALs don't?"

"The Agency would LOVE to know about it, Hannah!" Granger said. "The only reason I know about it that I have a cousin in England that know about it!"

"And, how does your cousin know about it, Granger?" Callen asked.

"That,, kids?" Granger smiled. "Is my cousin's tale to tell! If she will."

Shortly, Granger, with Deeks and Blye, were in the shooting-range:

"Lady and Gentlemen?" Hettie announced. "You may want to put on some ear-pretection! The girls are imspecting and cleaning their weapons, now, but? The new tagets have been set up! The firworks should start in 2 minutes!"

"Hey! Hettie?" Deeks asked. "We were told Agent Gibbs handled De Costa's interrogation! How did it go?"

"It went well, from what Gibbs told me." Hettie said. "But? Apparently? The young De Costa did not fare so well! He has been strangely silent, and trying his best to avoid everyone!"

Granger chuckled.

"And how was your interrogation of Xi'an Coyh Manh?" Blye asked.

"Ah! Ms. Xi'an Coyh!" Hettie's face lit up. "Well, after her two-minute coma.."

"Coma?" Marty asked.

"She was quite disoriented for the next ten minutes, and very careful - and truthful - with her answers for the rest of the interview!"

"Disoriented?" Kenzie asked. "What happened, Hettie? Did Karma try to possess you?"

"That she did, Ms. Blye, for all of 30 seconds, then spent the next minute and a half trying to find her way out of my mind! You see, Kenzie, if a telephic-person cannot find a mind to latch on to, they can becomr disoriented, much like an avelanche-victim! And? The deeper into the mind - unguided - they go, the more-confused they can become!"

"By the way, Henrietta?" Deeks asked. "Who interviewed Moonstar?"

"Nate had that job," Hettie said. "After he put on an Inhibitor Collar! Ms. Moonstar was a little hostile at first, but quickly quieted down. At least? That is how Nate explained it to me."

"Danni can regain a level-head, quickly," Kathryn said, "If she can stay away from bad-influences!"

"Like De Costa and Xi'an Coyh?" Granger asked.

"Exactly!" Kathryn answered. "Hettie? We're ready to start, again!"

"Before you start, Ms. Pryde?" Granger asked, reviewing the priod targets. "Who's using the Teflon?"

"Armor-piercing rounds?" Deeks and Blye asked, together.

"Thant would be Illyanna!" Kathryn answered.

"Family-issues, Ms. Pryde?" Granger asked. "Oh! And I'm Owen Granger, Assister-Director, Los Angeles!"

"Too many to count, Mr. Granger!" Kathryn answered. "Kathryn Pryde, X-Man! Or? At least for one more day!"

Owen then wandered to the last spot occupied by a shooter:

"Any particular reason for using Teflon, Illyanna Nikoleavna?"

"To protect my elder-sister.. Mr. Granger, I presume?" Illyanna replied.

"Family-troubles?" Granger asked.

"Da!" Illyanna answered. "However? Do now ask further! The story would take too long- and, leave me in more of a killing-mood than I am in, now!"

"I understand!" Owen grinned. "But? Before you fire?", He removed his service-weapon, "clean this, will you? Just for a test."

"Of course!" Illyanna replied, then proceded to strip down the side-arm, examine it and clean it.

"The Barretta passes inspection, Agent Granger!" Illyanna smiled. "Do I?"

"So far." Granger chuckled, checking the returned-weapon.

Kathryn returned to her station on the firing-line, in the center of the line flanked by Catseye, Wolfsbane, Jubileee, and Majik:

"Okay, girls? Plsy-time's over. Testing starts... NOW!"

KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KaPOW! KAPOW!


End file.
